The Rays optioned prime infield prospect Junior Caminero to Triple-A Durham amongst their camp cuts this afternoon, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Occasions. That takes him out of the combination for an Opening Day roster spot.
Caminero at all times appeared like a protracted shot to safe a season-opening massive league job. The Rays promoted the 20-year-old instantly from Double-A final September. Caminero performed in seven common season video games and was obtainable off the bench for the crew’s Wild Card collection towards the Rangers. Whereas that at the very least put him on the radar for a possible Opening Day spot, the likelier final result has been that he’d head to Durham for the primary time.
Tampa Bay added a pair of shortstops over the winter. Commerce pickup José Caballero will get the beginning nod, whereas the Rays took a $1.5MM flier on Amed Rosario as a right-handed hitter who can bounce across the diamond. Isaac Paredes ought to get nearly all of the third base reps with Yandy Díaz on the reverse nook. Curtis Mead is one other righty bat who can transfer across the infield. Mead isn’t but established on the MLB degree however turned in a wonderful .294/.385/.515 slash line over 61 Triple-A contests a 12 months in the past.
Whereas Caminero is mild on higher degree expertise, he has destroyed opposing pitching via Double-A. The suitable-handed hitter owns a .316/.383/.555 mark in three minor league campaigns, together with a .324/.384/.591 line between Excessive-A and Double-A a 12 months in the past. Baseball America, FanGraphs, The Athletic’s Keith Regulation and ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel all rank him among the many sport’s 5 most proficient prospects.
Caminero has expertise in any respect 4 infield positions. Most scouting experiences point out he’s finest fitted to third base. That will ultimately lead the Rays to contemplate commerce prospects with Paredes, whom they management through arbitration for one more 4 seasons. That’s not one thing with which they’ll must concern themselves earlier than Opening Day.
The minor league project is more likely to have an effect on Caminero’s service trajectory. He accrued 10 days of MLB service after his September promotion. Caminero would should be on the MLB roster for 162 days if he’s to surpass the one-year threshold in 2024. Spending various weeks in Durham would stop him from reaching that mark (until he performs his manner right into a full service 12 months with a top-two end in Rookie of the Yr balloting). That’s not a sign the Rays are gaming Caminero’s service time — there’s clearly legit developmental cause to get him time in Triple-A — nevertheless it’s a notable impact all the identical.