ST. PETERSBURG -- When Junior Caminero joined the Rays in late September 2023, he was a well-known prospect. He soared up the rankings to become the club’s top Minor Leaguer and clear third baseman of the future.
Was he ready? Probably not. Tampa Bay made the rare decision to promote him straight from Double-A, after all.
Oh, and he had turned 20 years old only two months earlier.
Caminero wasn’t the youngest player to take the field in a Tampa Bay uniform, though. Here’s a look at the earliest debuts, by age, in franchise history:
B.J. Upton: 19 years, 347 days
Debut: Aug. 2, 2004
Selected second overall in the 2002 Draft, Upton played 130 games in the Minors in '03 and 98 in '04 before the then-Devil Rays called him up. Heading into that season, Upton was the No. 2 prospect in the Minors, according to Baseball America, behind only Joe Mauer. He remains the only teenager to play for the Rays.
Tampa Bay called up Upton and gave him his first start on Aug. 2, 2004, a 6-3 loss against Boston at Tropicana Field. And how’s this for a first assignment? He made his debut as the designated hitter against knuckleballer Tim Wakefield. Batting ninth, Upton went 1-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout.
“I’m just happy I hit the ball,” Upton told the St. Petersburg Times after the game.
Eventually known as a center fielder, Upton spent most of his first 45 games in the Majors playing shortstop and third base while mixing in time as the DH and making one start in left field. He played a full season for Triple-A Durham in 2005 and then returned in '06 as a third baseman. Upton split the ’07 season between center field and second base and then moved to center full time in '08.
Junior Caminero: 20 years, 80 days
Debut: Sept. 23, 2023
Caminero didn’t become a Major League force until 2025, when he broke out with 45 home runs and 110 RBIs during his first full season in The Show. But he came up earlier than expected for the playoff-bound Rays in 2023, as they were seeking offensive reinforcements and looking for some potential right-handed power off the bench.
Caminero didn’t do much with his initial opportunity, aside from putting on a breathtaking batting-practice display in Toronto during the final series of the regular season. He hit his first homer and drove in seven runs, going 8-for-34 overall. He picked up a hit and a walk and scored a run in his debut, which he started as Tampa Bay’s designated hitter in a 7-6 home victory over the Blue Jays. It will be odd looking back to see him wearing a No. 1 jersey during that stint, but with No. 13 unavailable (Manuel Margot), his thought process behind that number certainly made sense.
“Because I was the No. 1 prospect,” he said, smiling.
Wander Franco: 20 years, 113 days
Debut: June 22, 2021
It is difficult to explain the hype that surrounded Franco’s Major League debut. He was regarded as baseball’s best prospect, and his future stardom had been all but guaranteed for years before that. He was the rare prospect who was so young, not even 21 years old, yet felt like he had been waiting forever for that moment.
Franco arrived with all the ability in the world -- an 80-grade hit tool, legitimate power from both sides of the plate, excellent defense at shortstop, a strong arm and speed on the bases. The Rays leaned into those expectations, batting him second (albeit while playing third base) in his debut against the Red Sox at Tropicana Field. And Franco lived up to them.
He worked a walk in his first plate appearance, bashed a game-tying three-run homer in the fifth inning and also doubled. He hardly ever looked back after that, reeling off a 43-game on-base streak and finishing third in the American League Rookie of the Year Award voting -- teammate Randy Arozarena was the winner -- despite playing only 70 games.
Franco was an All-Star by his third season but hasn’t played since August 2023; he has been on the restricted list since July 2024 after being charged with sexual abuse of a minor in the Dominican Republic.
Chad Gaudin: 20 years, 130 days
Debut: Aug. 1, 2003
A 34th-round Draft pick in 2001 out of Crescent City Baptist High School in Harahan, La., the right-hander put together a 2.26 ERA in Single-A during his first pro season in '02. He breezed through High-A the next year, made three dominant starts for Double-A Orlando and arrived in the Majors to pitch 2 1/3 innings out of Tampa Bay’s bullpen at Kansas City in his MLB debut.
Gaudin began his 11-year big league career by going 3-2 with a 4.25 ERA in 41 outings over two seasons with the Devil Rays. On Dec. 12, 2004, they traded him to the Blue Jays for a 27-year-old catcher by the name of Kevin Cash.
Scott Kazmir: 20 years, 212 days
Debut: Aug. 23, 2004
The Mets were roundly criticized for trading Kazmir, their first-round Draft pick in 2002, to get Victor Zambrano. Kazmir eventually proved those critics correct, as he went 45-34 with a 3.51 ERA and two All-Star nods from 2005-08 and started Game 1 during the Rays’ first trip to the World Series.
The lefty flew through the Minors, joining Tampa Bay’s Double-A Montgomery affiliate after the 2004 Trade Deadline and then skipping Triple-A to make his debut in a 9-0 win at Seattle. Kazmir pitched five innings against a lineup led by Ichiro Suzuki and Edgar Martinez.
Carl Crawford: 20 years, 349 days
Debut: July 20, 2002
The Rays’ first true homegrown star, Crawford was selected in the second round of the 1999 Draft and then steadily but speedily climbed to the Majors. He played Rookie-level ball in '99, Single-A in 2000, Double-A in '01 and Triple-A in '02 before making his entrance as the Devil Rays’ No. 9-hitting left fielder in a 12-10 loss at Toronto. Crawford went 1-for-4 with two RBIs in his debut.
Crawford went on to become one of the Rays’ most accomplished players. In nine seasons, he posted a slash line of .296/.337/.444 with 104 homers, 105 triples, 215 doubles, 592 RBIs and 409 stolen bases. He earned four All-Star nods (plus one All-Star Game MVP), a Silver Slugger Award and one Gold Glove before becoming a free agent after the 2010 season.
Delmon Young: 20 years, 349 days
Debut: Aug. 29, 2006
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2003 Draft and Baseball America’s top prospect entering the '06 season, Young reached the Majors and played well in his debut. He went 2-for-3 with a homer in his first game, a 12-9 loss to the White Sox in Chicago, and hit .317 in his first 30 games. Young finished second in the American League Rookie of the Year Award voting in '07, when he hit .288 with 93 RBIs in 162 games.
The Rays traded Young to the Twins that offseason for a return headlined by Matt Garza and Jason Bartlett, beginning a trade tree that has been fruitful for the franchise.
Rocco Baldelli: 21 years, 187 days
Debut: March 31, 2003
The sixth overall pick in the 2000 Draft, Baldelli arrived with so much promise on Opening Day in 2003 after playing only 290 games in the Minors. Batting second and starting in center field, he doubled off Pedro Martinez in the fourth inning -- his first hit -- and stood on deck when Crawford ended the game with a three-run, walk-off homer in the ninth.
Baldelli finished third in the 2003 AL Rookie of the Year Award voting after slashing .289/.326/.416 with 11 homers, 78 RBIs and 27 steals, and he enjoyed a three-WAR season in '04. Medical issues limited him after that, although he was part of the Rays’ worst-to-first turnaround in 2008 and finished his playing career with the team in '10. He remained involved with the team for years before becoming the Twins' manager.
Kenny Kelly: 21 years, 225 days
Debut: Sept. 7, 2000
The Tampa Catholic High School product and former University of Miami quarterback, a second-round pick in the 1997 Draft, made the leap from Double-A to debut as a pinch-runner in a 4-3 victory at Cleveland. He recorded only one plate appearance in two games for his hometown team.
Dan Wheeler: 21 years, 265 days
Debut: Sept. 1, 1999
The right-hander is best remembered for his second stint with the Rays as a key veteran in their bullpen from 2008-10. But his 13-year career in the Majors began as a starter for the Devil Rays a little more than three years after he was drafted in the 34th round. Wheeler lost his debut, a 3-1 defeat at Baltimore, despite allowing only two runs over five innings. He spent time with the Mets and Astros before returning to Tampa Bay in a 2007 trade for Ty Wigginton.