The Kansas City Royals have seen firsthand how potent Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero has been at the plate.
After homering in his fifth straight contest Tuesday to open a three-game set in Kansas City, Caminero will look to stay hot and help the Rays to a seventh consecutive victory tonight.
Caminero’s three-run homer Tuesday highlighted a six-run third inning during Tampa Bay’s 10-4 win against the Royals. Over the past seven games, he is 13-for-27 and has eight of his 23 home runs this season.
Caminero, a first-time All-Star in 2025 when hit 45 home runs, joins Ronald Acuna Jr. (2018), Brian McCann (2006) and Jack Clark (1978) as players age 22 or younger to homer in five straight contests since 1900.
“The best I’ve ever felt at the plate,” Caminero, 22, told Rays.TV. “Don’t put too much pressure on (myself). … Just put the ball in play.”
Caminero is batting .381 (8-for-21) with five home runs and 12 RBI as the Rays have gone 3-2 against the Royals this season. He hit a two-run homer, then a solo shot, off today’s scheduled Kansas City starter Seth Lugo (3-5, 4.18 ERA) during his three-home-run performance in Tampa Bay’s 13-2 win just six days ago.
The Rays tagged Lugo, a veteran right-hander, for seven runs — six coming via three homers — in five innings, as he allowed seven total hits and two walks in that contest.
“It was a pretty rough day,” Lugo said. “I hung two breaking balls over the middle. I think everyone in their lineup is going to hit those.”
Though the Royals have lost five of the last six games overall, and three straight vs. Tampa Bay, they got the best of today’s scheduled Rays starter, Shane McClanahan (6-5, 3.30 ERA) during a 12-5 win June 23. The left-hander allowed six runs, but only two earned, plus six hits, including three homers, in six innings.
After missing the previous two seasons due to injuries, McClanahan posted a 2.45 ERA in his first 11 starts of 2026, then went 0-3 with a 5.79 ERA while the Rays lost all four of his June outings.
The club announced last week that McClanahan’s turn in the rotation would be pushed back, notably to provide some extra rest considering his recent health issues.
“As a competitor, oh gosh, I want the ball,” McClanahan told the Rays’ official website. “But at the same time, I think it’s important to take a step back and understand that this is the long game.”
Kansas City’s Jac Caglianone, a Tampa native, hit a solo homer and two-run shot off McClanahan last week. However, Caglianone is 1-for-19 with nine strikeouts in five games since.
Teammate Carter Jensen went 0-for-2 with a walk vs. McClanahan last week but homered Tuesday to extend his hitting streak to 20 games, during which he’s batting .346 with five home runs and 18 RBI.
“It definitely means a lot to me,” Jensen told the Royals’ official website. “But I think just trying to get some wins across is the most important thing for me, honestly.”
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