Entering Friday, the Rays are a game and a half behind the Orioles in the AL East with eight games to play. As Tampa Bay tries to track down Baltimore to win the division title, the Rays have decided to call up some reinforcements from the minor leagues.
Ahead of the team’s three-game weekend set with Toronto, Tampa Bay has called up 20-year-old prospect Junior Caminero, according to a report from ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Caminero will skip Triple A entirely, as he makes the jump straight from Double A to the majors.
Caminero is hitting .324 this season with 31 home runs and 94 RBI in 117 games between High A and Double A ball. The 20-year old plays both shortstop and third base and could provide some pop to the lineup over the last week of the season.
There is an obvious spot for Caminero at shortstop if Rays manager Kevin Cash elects to slot him in there. Since Wander Franco was put on administrative leave by MLB earlier this summer, Tampa Bay has been rotating several players at the position, including Taylor Walls, Osleivis Basabe and Tristan Gray.
Although Caminero was called up after Sept. 1, he is still eligible for the team’s postseason roster since he was already a member of the organization.
