It was a great month for the Tampa Bay Rays.
The team enters the weekend on an 8-game winning streak and the best record in the American League. After a rough start to June, things quickly turned around for the ball club, and now they sit 4 games ahead of the New York Yankees for the AL East division lead.
And now it just got even better.
It was announced on Friday that Rays third baseman Junior Caminero was named the American League Player of the Month for June. After starting the Month somewhat slowly, Caminero went on a historic run over the past few weeks, making the award decision an easy one.
In the last seven games of June, the Rays third baseman had an unbelievable slash line of .481/.548/1.370, mainly due to his eight home runs and 18 RBIs over that stretch. During that time, he hit homers in 6 consecutive games, a franchise record. He also set a career high during that span when he hit 3 long balls in one night against the Kansas City Royals during the Tampa Bay homestand.
With Junior Caminero taking home the award, it marks a new milestone in Rays history, as the franchise swept the voting for both Player and Pitcher. For the first time in the organization’s history, they took home both monthly awards, with Drew Rasmussen named Pitcher of the Month for the American League as well.
The Boys of Summer 😎 pic.twitter.com/8O9DEv7BxA
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) July 3, 2026
With the slump feeling far enough behind the Rays, and Caminero looking like one of a few frontrunners inside the American League that could potentially win MVP, Tampa Bay is in a great spot as we draw near the All-Star break.
The first and only team to reach 50 wins inside the junior circuit puts them in prime position for a deep postseason run if they can keep the momentum. Caminero, who is on pace for another 45-homer season, could use some more support, though. Although the team is looking good over the last stretch of games, we still have half the season to go. The MLB Trade Deadline, which arrives on August 3rd, will certainly be an important date for this squad.
