SANTO DOMINGO.– Dominican third baseman Junior Caminero continues to establish himself as one of the most feared power hitters in Major League Baseball by hitting his 27th home run of the season this Thursday, during the first inning of the game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the New York Yankees.
You might be interested in: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. breaks his home run drought in the Blue Jays’ blowout win
Caminero wasted no time making his presence felt in the game by disappearing the ball over the left-field fence against an 83.5 mph sweeper from starter Paul Blackburn. The hit traveled 438 feet, giving Tampa Bay an early lead.
With this home run, the Dominican remains in the fight for the American League home run lead, sitting just two behind Cuban Yordan Álvarez, of the Houston Astros, who has 29.
More Read
The young slugger is going through one of the best moments of his career. In his last 15 games, he is batting .273, with 11 home runs, 20 RBIs, and a 1.167 OPS, the best mark in all of Major League Baseball during that period.
In the 2026 season, Caminero exhibits a solid offensive line of .280 average, 27 home runs, 57 RBIs, and a .919 OPS, a figure that places him among the best hitters in the American circuit.
Advanced metrics also support his extraordinary performance. According to Baseball Savant, he possesses the highest swing speed in the Major Leagues, at 79.9 miles per hour, in addition to an average exit velocity of 93.1 mph and a 51.1% hard-hit rate.
More Read
Likewise, FanGraphs statistics reflect a wRC+ of 148, which means that his offensive production has been 48% above the Major League average, confirming the impact the Dominican has had on the Rays’ lineup.
