On the day the Rays started trading in advance of Thursday’s Trade Deadline, one big swing from their 22-year-old All-Star third baseman reminded everyone why he’s a franchise cornerstone.
Caminero launched a moonshot home run in the first inning, and the Rays defeated the Yankees, 4-2, in Monday night’s series opener at Yankee Stadium.
Only minutes before the game, news broke that the Rays were finalizing two separate trades: one to send catcher Danny Jansen to the Brewers for Milwaukee No. 24 prospect Jadher Areinamo, the other to bring in a catcher to replace Jansen, the Marlins’ Nick Fortes, in exchange for Tampa Bay No. 28 prospect Matthew Etzel.
“Our job is just to come here and win games,” Caminero said through interpreter Eddie Rodriguez. “We are going to control what we control. As players, we come here every day to play hard. What the front office does, that’s on them. We just have to come here and perform.”
Jansen was quickly scratched from the Rays’ lineup and replaced by Matt Thaiss behind the plate. But that last-second shakeup didn’t stop Tampa Bay — which entered the game on an MLB-worst 7-18 skid since June 27 — from beating the Bronx Bombers to get back above .500 at 54-53.
“I know [the Trade Deadline] affects our players, and you care about the players,” manager Kevin Cash said. “I don’t know if the right message is to say something, or not say something and let them go out and play. But to a man, it’s a smart group in there. They know what’s going on, and they know what’s at stake these last couple of days.”
Caminero’s home run was his 27th of the season — the second most homers ever by a Rays player before the end of July, after Jose Canseco’s 31 by the end of July 1999. Caminero also reached 70 RBIs with the two-run shot, making him the first Tampa Bay player with both 25 homers and 70 RBIs before August in a season.
Already an emerging star in the big leagues, Caminero is barely four months older than the prospect the Rays are landing from Milwaukee, Areinamo, who’s 21 years old at High-A. Having players like him gives the Rays confidence they can get back to their winning ways down the stretch.
“It’s an unsettling time of year, but also, the talent that is in this room is off the charts,” said starter Drew Rasmussen. “As a group, things haven’t necessarily gone our way the last couple of weeks. But I think we have an understanding of how good we can be. We saw it in May, we saw it in June. And it’s just one of those things that, yeah, we do need to turn things around a little bit. But also we have the right group to do it.”
Caminero’s homer on Monday was also his first career hit at Yankee Stadium. And he did it in front of his family — Caminero’s parents, brother and more were in the stands Monday.
“Tremendous,” Caminero said. “I get emotional about them being here. I get pumped up. So it was great to do that in front of them.”
