It's already been quite a birthday week for Junior Caminero, and he won’t turn 23 until Sunday.
One night after homering into the record books and two days after committing to another Home Run Derby, the Tampa Bay slugger appears on the verge of another milestone.
Caminero carried a commanding 66% to 34% lead over Toronto's Kazuma Okamoto in fan voting for American League's starting third baseman into the hours before Thursday's noon deadline, with Major League Baseball expected to announce the results Saturday.
If his advantage holds, it will be Caminero's second straight start in the Midseason Classic – he filled in last year for vote-winner Jose Ramirez, who opted out with a bad Achilles, after replacing an injured Alex Bregman.
Caminero already has a spot secured at Philadelphia’s Citizen Bank Park for All-Star Week, July 12-14. On Tuesday, he agreed to return to the Home Run Derby, a year after putting on show before losing in the final round.
It’s a proper stage for the Dominican native. On Wednesday, he smacked a 425-foot shot to left off Kansas City's Seth Lugo to become the youngest major-leaguer since at least 1900 to homer in six straight games.
The dinger put Caminero into the rarified air of another Junior – Seattle’s Ken Griffey Jr. – who had been the younger player to knock six straight homers, at age 23, in 1993. And it tied the Rays’ all-time streak of Carlos Pena.
“Pretty surprised,” Caminero said. “Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. ... When my name stays in that lineup, it's unbelievable.”
Caminero is also the first player of any age to homer in six straight games since Rafael Devers did it for Boston in May 2024.
The streak ended Thursday, as Caminero went 0-for-5 in a 5-2 win over the Royals, the Rays' eighth straight victory.
But that’s just the past few days. He was last week’s AL player of the week after launching seven homers and piling up 15 RBIs. He’s gone deep nine times over the past eight games.
“I've feel really comfortable the last two weeks,” he said. “I'm trying to be aggressive in the (strike) zone.”
Rays manager Kevin Cash said he didn’t know how to put the streak into perspective.
“It's kind of amazing when you've got 25 other players in the dugout that are pretty much in awe, along with an entire coaching staff,” Cash said. “That means you're doing some incredible things.”
JUNIOR CAMINERO HOMERS IN A 6TH STRAIGHT GAME! pic.twitter.com/FC638jJTh7
— MLB (@MLB) July 1, 2026
Caminero was the first player to announce he would participate in the season's Home Run Derby. He's looking for a different result than last year, which he was edged by Seattle's Cal Raleigh 18-15 in the final round at Atlanta's Truist Park.
“Champion – that's the goal,” he said.
In an era of faster-paced games thanks in part to the implementation of a pitch clock, MLB has decided to eliminate a similar clock from its Home Run Derby, scheduled for July 13. Each hitter will have 20 swings in the first round. The change coincides with a switch in broadcaster to Netflix from ESPN, which had televised the event since 1994.
Any player who homers on his 20th swing will keep on swinging until he doesn’t connect for home run. The top four hitters advance, with the distance of the longest homer being used as the tiebreaker if necessary.
The way he's been swinging the bat, Caminero has a good shot at being there at the end.
“He gets a pitch to hit and he's not missing,” Rays catcher Nick Fortes said. “I've never experienced it so I don't know how to describe it.”
MLB will announce the All-Star starters, reserves and pitchers on Fox at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Players and the commissioners office fill out the roster, with starting pitchers chosen by the managers, the Blue Jays' John Schneider and the Dodgers' Dave Roberts.
It's likely Caminero will be joined by a few teammates from the AL East-leading Rays, including Yandy Diaz as designated hitter and pitchers Nick Martinez and Drew Rasmussen.
The All-Star Game takes place July 14 at 8 p.m.
“I mean, thank God he's on our team,” Rays pitcher Griffin Jax said of Caminero. “The way he's doing it with the power and the not chasing and the not whiffing is just so impressive.”
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
