BOSTON -- Junior Caminero has started at third base in every game the Rays have played so far this season, and he wasn’t going to let a sore pinkie finger -- or a doubleheader -- change that Friday at Fenway Park.
Caminero was in Tampa Bay’s lineup, batting third and playing third, to start Friday afternoon’s second-half opener after an injury scare at the All-Star Game in Philadelphia. The Rays’ 23-year-old star was hit by a 97.6 mph pitch from Cardinals right-hander Riley O’Brien in the third inning and exited immediately, but X-rays came back clean -- a huge relief to Caminero, the Rays and the All-Stars on both sides Tuesday night.
“Everything’s OK. Everything’s good,” Caminero said. “A little bit sore the last two days.”
When the Rays reported to Fenway Park for a long day of baseball on Friday morning, Caminero told manager Kevin Cash he was ready to play both games -- and then some. By coming out of the All-Star break with a doubleheader to make up for a rainout on May 9, the Rays are set to play eight games over seven days in Boston and Toronto.
“Hopefully he’s in for eight games,” Cash said.
When Caminero was hit in the left hand and quickly removed himself from the Midsummer Classic, Cash experienced the same initial scare as anybody else watching the game. He received word quickly from Blue Jays/American League manager John Schneider that Caminero was getting X-rays at Citizens Bank Park but seemed like he would be fine.
Cash received more updates from senior director of communications Elvis Martinez, who was on the scene, then FaceTimed with Caminero in the AL clubhouse.
“From that point … was confident just by the way he was acting that he was OK,” Cash said.
It wasn’t quite that quick for Rays closer Bryan Baker, who recorded the final out of the game for the AL. He spent the final six innings of the game in the bullpen, uncertain about what was taking place after Caminero left and understandably fearing the worst.
“I was basically panicking for a solid two hours, hoping he was OK. But yeah, that was probably the biggest relief of the entire week was getting back in the clubhouse and finding out that everything was OK,” Baker said. “Hopefully that swelling stays down and he's good to go. But yeah, that was a serious scare.”
Caminero was the only Rays hitter to play in each of the club’s first 94 games before the All-Star break.
“Thank God [I’ve] stayed healthy, because if I stay healthy, I can play,” he said. “When you’re healthy, good things happen.”
Although his early exits in the Home Run Derby and the All-Star Game weren’t ideal, Caminero said he still enjoyed his second trip to the Midsummer Classic. He appreciated the Philadelphia fans’ passion -- even the way they booed non-Phillies hitters in the Derby -- and enjoyed getting to speak with veteran legends like Mike Trout and Justin Verlander.
Caminero said he told Trout, “I love watching you play.” And he shared a similar message with Verlander, who made his Major League debut for the Tigers the day before Caminero turned 2 years old.
“As a young kid, before signing, I followed you,” Caminero said he told Verlander. “Now, we’re playing together today in the All-Star Game.”