Caminero joins Dominican Republic team sure to be stacked for '26 Classic
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One of MLB’s most prolific young sluggers will be suiting up for his home country in the World Baseball Classic for the first time.
Rays third baseman Junior Caminero will play for his native Dominican Republic in the 2026 WBC, Dominican manager Albert Pujols announced on Monday.
The 22-year-old Caminero, whose 45 home runs in 2025 were the sixth most in the Major Leagues, joins a star-studded squad that will challenge for its second World Baseball Classic championship. The Dominican won the 2013 WBC, beating Puerto Rico, 3-0.
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In 2023, the nation finished third in Pool D behind Venezuela and Puerto Rico and did not qualify for the quarterfinals despite a roster including Juan Soto, Julio Rodríguez, Rafael Devers, Manny Machado and Sandy Alcantara.
Caminero, born in the Dominican capital of Santo Domingo, was ranked as MLB Pipeline’s No. 6 overall prospect when he was first called up to the Majors in September 2023. He broke out with an impressive 2025, batting .264 with an .846 OPS, 45 homers and 110 RBIs for Tampa Bay.
He will be tuning up for the WBC in his own hometown: Caminero and the Dominican national team are set to face the Tigers for two games on March 3-4 at Estadio Quisqueya Juan Marichal in Santo Domingo. Pool play for the tournament begins March 5, with the Dominican team facing Nicaragua in its opener on March 6. Quarterfinal play begins March 13, with the WBC final set for March 17 at loanDepot park in Miami.