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Tampa Bay Rays infielder Junior Caminero has emerged as one of the most important offensive assets for the team in the 2025 season. The 21-year-old slugger's prowess was on display during his team's
Caminero is coming off a multi-homer game against the Houston Astros on Saturday, which saw the Rays rout Houston 16-3 Daikin Park.
Following his season-best game we list reasons why Junior Caminero is the X-factor in the Rays lineup.
Run machine
Saturday's 16-3 rout was the second time the Rays have scored 12+ runs in the series as they blew away the Astros 13-3 in the series opener on Thursday. Junior Caminero drove in a career-high six runs during the game.
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He proved that Thursday's outing was no fluke by driving in another four runs in Saturday's contest. He has the joint most runs for the team this season and also leads the team in RBI.
Power-hitting ability
Junior Caminero smashed two home runs in a game for the first time in his career this weekend. His first multi-homer outing took him to 13 home runs this season.
His 13 home runs are the most by a Rays player this season, leading fellow infielder Brandon Lowe's tally of 11 homers. He also has the most hits for the Rays this season and he boosted those numbers after going 4-for-5 on Saturday against Houston.
Clubhouse leader
Although Junior Caminero is just 21 and is in his first full season with the team, the dynamic third baseman has provided a much-needed spark to the Rays offense this year.
The Rays scored the second-lowest runs in the MLB last season but have looked like a completely different outfit this year with Caminero leading the offense. One of the highlights of their impressive offense has been their record over the last 11 games, where the Rays have outscored their opponents (74-22) by 52 runs.
Caminero's flying start has reinvigorated Tampa's offense as the team has won nine of their last 11 games with the offense backing their solid pitching staff. If the Rays continue their offensive surge, they could be in playoff contention in a competitive American League East behind leaders the New York Yankees.
