Division Rival Joins Home Run Derby Field Before Red Sox Series

A national audience will get to watch a rising young star who may bother the Boston Red Sox for years.

The Red Sox can streak into the All-Star break by staying hot against the Tampa Bay Rays. They’ll play four games against their American League East adversaries, who enter Thursday’s opener 1.5 games ahead in the standings.

Boston will look to contain one of MLB’s most promising sluggers.

On Wednesday, Junior Caminero made the All-Star Game as an injury replacement for Alex Bregman. Caminero will start at third base after José Ramírez opted out of the exhibition.

Caminero will pull double duty in Atlanta, as he also accepted an invitation to compete in the Home Run Derby.

“I’m going to put on a show. I’m going to try to put on a show just to give the fans the opportunity to get to know me, see my power,” Caminero said through an interpreter Wednesday, per MLB.com’s Adam Berry. “Just being there with all those other All-Stars, it’s going to be something very special.”

Caminero has crushed 22 home runs this season, tying Detroit Tigers outfielder Riley Greene for the third-most among AL players behind Cal Raleigh (36) and Aaron Judge (34). He’s batting .254/.295/.503 to start his first full season.

The 22-year-old joins Raleigh, Ronald Acuña Jr., James Wood, Oneil Cruz, Byron Buxton and Brent Rooker in the HR Derby field. That leaves one open spot, presumably for a National League slugger to give each league four contestants.

The Red Sox must ensure that Caminero doesn’t prepare for the event at their expense. He took Tanner Houck deep in their first matchup of the 2025 season, but Boston held the former top prospect hitless in a three-game series last month.

Boston can at least take solace in Caminero’s steep park splits before hosting the Rays at Fenway Park. While the rising star is batting .316/.350/.601 at George M. Steinbrenner Field, Tampa Bay’s temporary home that’s favored hitters, he’s batting .174/.227/.376 on the road.

Thursday’s game between the Red Sox and Rays starts at 7:10 p.m. ET.