When Is Junior Caminero Getting Called Up? Fantasy Baseball Prospect Outlook (Week 14 Update)

Tampa Bay is one of the most interesting teams in baseball in that they've been able to maintain a .500 record without several important players in their franchise.

The Rays rotation was without Taj Bradley for the first two months and has been without Shane McClanahan, Jeffrey Springs, and Drew Rasmussen all season. While McClanahan won't be back this year, Springs is nearing a return and Bradley is making a major impact in the rotation.

And the Rays happen to have the third-ranked hitting prospect in all of baseball, too. Many were expecting Junior Caminero to contribute to this year's team. He's had some injuries slow him down, but will we still be seeing Caminero in Tampa this year?

Junior Caminero Prospect Update for Fantasy Baseball

Caminero's lack of promotion has likely nothing to do with his performance. This season, the 20-year-old slugger is slashing a sizzling .261/.333/.478 with eight home runs, six doubles, 24 RBI, and one stolen base over 138 at-bats (34 games) with Triple-A Durham.

Early today, Junior Caminero doubled on the hardest hit ball in AAA this season.

Tonight, he’s hit 2 HRs. He’s my #1 overall prospect. pic.twitter.com/AA0Gz7XkJm

— BigBobsCards (@BigBobsCards) May 2, 2024

Caminero spent 2023 splitting time between Single-A and Double-A and is in his first season at Triple-A. Unfortunately, he sustained a quad injury at the end of May that has sidelined him for the last month.

The initial timeline given for the injury was 4-6 weeks, so we are closing in on the last few weeks of that time frame, though new updates have been given.

Tampa Bay badly needs another bat, but they're also not likely to rush Caminero back until he's made a full recovery and looked healthy in some minor-league action.

Junior Caminero Outlook for Fantasy Baseball

Caminero is MLB Pipeline's No. 3 prospect for 2024, and the combination of power and contact skills in his bat gives him an elite ceiling in fantasy that makes him close to a must-stash player in the majority of leagues based on upside alone. 

Junior Caminero slo-mo swings 😍https://t.co/tBMZvMc5Xj pic.twitter.com/gLk8rRyrmt

— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) May 19, 2024

The issue with holding Caminero is the lack of clarity on his timeline to return from injury, and his potential debut could be pushed back into late July or even August. His talent is enough to hold him for now and hope for some positive news about his return, but those managers in shallow leagues that don't have the space to stash him can sit this one out for now.

More Fantasy Baseball Analysis

Jacob deGrom - Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups (Week 25)

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ROSTERED IN: 75% of Leagues ANALYSIS: Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jacob deGrom is on the verge of returning to the major leagues and should be rostered in all formats. The former two-time Cy Young winner underwent Tommy John surgery last summer and began a rehab assignment in late August. Through […]

Andy Smith 3 months ago

Kumar Rocker - Fantasy Baseball Prospects Waiver Wire Pickups (Week 25)

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 15% of Leagues ANALYSIS:  Texas Rangers starting pitching prospect Kumar Rocker is set to make his major league debut on Thursday and should be added in all standard leagues. Rocker has had a rocky start to his professional career. He was originally drafted by the New […]

Andy Smith 3 months ago

Jasson Dominguez: Fantasy Baseball Prospects Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 25 (2024)

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 35% of Leagues ANALYSIS: The New York Yankees called up their top prospect, Jasson Dominguez, before Monday's series opener against the Kansas City Royals. Dominguez hit sixth and played left field in his second major league start of the season. In that contest, he went 1-for-4 with […]

Joey Pollizze 3 months ago

Will Wagner - Fantasy Baseball Prospects Waiver Wire Stashes (Week 23)

BALLER MOVE: Use as Streamer for Rest of Season / Stash in Dynasty Leagues CALL-UP ETA: In Majors ANALYSIS: Will Wagner, the son of legendary closer Billy Wagner, was acquired by the Toronto Blue Jays at this year’s trade deadline from the Houston Astros as part of the Yusei Kikuchi return. The 26-year-old currently ranks […]

Jake Kleiner 3 months ago

Connor Norby - Fantasy Baseball Prospects Waiver Wire Stashes (Week 22)

BALLER MOVE: Add in Deeper Leagues CALL-UP ETA: August 19 ANALYSIS: Connor Norby is finally making his much-anticipated debut for the Miami Marlins. Norby, who was acquired at the trade deadline in the deal that sent Trevor Rogers to Baltimore, was playing with Miami's Triple-A team in Jacksonville since being traded but was activated by Miami […]

Dan Palyo 3 months ago