CLEVELAND -- Rays third baseman Junior Caminero was back in the lineup Wednesday against the Cleveland Guardians, joking with his teammates like nothing had happened the night before.
All of them, though, understood how fortunate he was to avoid a major injury.
Caminero suffered a bruised jaw when he fouled a Tanner Bibee pitch into the dirt and off the right side of his face in the first inning, forcing him to leave what became a 1-0 Tampa Bay victory.
“Thank God, I was all fine,” Caminero said through team interpreter Kevin Vera. “They just put ice on my chin and gave me a little bit of medicine, but definitely, I’m good.
“We all got scared the way the ball came up and hit me in the face, but I feel good.”
The 22-year-old All-Star laid prone on the dirt for several minutes while being examined by trainer Joe Benge, but opted to complete the at-bat. He grounded out to Bibee on the next pitch and walked straight into the clubhouse.
Caminero admitted being afraid that he had either broken his jaw or had fractured teeth from the bad-bounce foul, but was relieved when medical tests revealed no significant damage.
His next reaction was unexpected.
“Right after they came and checked everything out, and everything came back fine, I went and ate a hamburger,” Caminero said, chuckling. “No [worries]. I’m totally fine.”
Also undamaged were Caminero’s braces, which wound up protecting his top and bottom teeth from the impact. He showed them off while warmly conversing with reporters in the visiting clubhouse at Progressive Field.
“Initially, I thought I broke something because I heard something [pop],” said Caminero, who is batting .254 with eight homers and 15 RBIs. “But it was the braces. Thank God, I’m all good.”
Caminero didn’t change his routine or his equipment upon stepping into the batter’s box Wednesday against Gavin Williams in his customary No. 2 spot. Both were by design, as he doesn’t plan on playing with a modified batting helmet or additional facial protection.
“The biggest thing I wasn’t going to do is make myself scared of the plate,” he said. “It’s things that happen in the game. Accidents happen.”