The Rays' breakout star was standing in against Cardinals righty Riley O'Brien in the 3rd inning of the All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park when a heater got away and drilled him on top of the left hand. The mic'd-up sound of it alone was enough to make you wince, and Caminero immediately dropped his bat and headed for the dugout in visible pain.
Caminero goes down near home plate as trainers and teammates rush in after the pitch.
Trainers were out on the field within seconds, and once he got back on his feet, a Blue Jays teammate helped walk him off rather than let him try to jog it out on his own. That's the kind of moment that makes an exhibition game feel very real very fast — nobody wants to see a 22-year-old this good getting carted off in what's supposed to be a showcase night.
A second angle shows Caminero being helped up and off the field after the HBP.
The good news: X-rays taken at the ballpark came back clean, with no fractures found, and the Rays labeled him day to day rather than anything more serious. Miguel Vargas slid in to cover 3rd base the rest of the way, and Caminero was able to walk off under his own power with an assist rather than needing to be carried out.
This was Caminero's first All-Star nod, the payoff for a breakout year that's had the Rays fielding extension questions all season. He's already made clear he'd like to stick in Tampa long-term, telling reporters back in February that this is his city, even while acknowledging the final call isn't his to make. With his agent reportedly floating a price tag in the $150-200 million range and Tampa Bay still working through its own long-term ballpark situation, any twist to Caminero's timeline is going to get magnified.
For a team that's leaned on his bat as its offensive centerpiece, a scary-but-clean hand X-ray is about the best outcome you could ask for out of an All-Star break scare. Now it's just a matter of how quickly he's back in the box once the 2nd half kicks off.