AL 3B Caminero hit by pitch, exits in 3rd inning

Jorge CastilloJul 14, 2026, 09:45 PM ET

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ESPN baseball reporter. Covered the Washington Wizards from 2014 to 2016 and the Washington Nationals from 2016 to 2018 for The Washington Post before covering the Los Angeles Dodgers and MLB for the Los Angeles Times from 2018 to 2024.

PHILADELPHIA -- The MLB All-Star Game took a scary detour in the third inning Tuesday when Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero was hit by a pitch on the left hand and exited the exhibition in pain.

Caminero, batting cleanup for the American League, took the 97.6 mph sinker from St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Riley O'Brien on the hand and dropped to the ground, casting a pall over Citizens Bank Park. A trainer tended to him before he got up and jogged off the field, straight into the AL clubhouse. He underwent X-rays on the hand, which came back negative.

The 23-year-old Caminero is one of the sport's brightest young stars. After belting 45 home runs in his age-21 season last year, Caminero is batting .279 with 28 home runs and a .927 OPS in 94 games for the first-place Rays this season. He began his second All-Star Game appearance -- and first start -- with a groundout in the first inning.

Two innings later, the Rays were left holding their breath, hoping they won't be without their superstar for an extended period.