Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero avoided a serious injury after colliding with outfielder Jonny DeLuca during the ninth inning of Game 1 of the ALCS on Monday night at Tropicana Field, according to MLB.com. Caminero remained in the game at third base. The Rays lost to the Cleveland Guardians 7-3.
The collision happened when Brayan Rocchio lifted a foul ball high down the left-field line. DeLuca came in from left field while Caminero raced back from third base, and the two players’ left shoulders took most of the impact. The play unfolded with a runner on second and nobody out in a one-run game, and the noise from the 35,361 fans at Tropicana Field made it difficult for the two Rays to hear each other as they converged on the ball.
What The Rays Said About The Junior Caminero Injury Update
Rays manager Kevin Cash said he did not initially realize how hard Caminero had been hit. “I think he got the wind knocked out of him a little bit. I actually didn’t even notice that he went down.
I was looking at DeLuca. He popped up pretty quick, and [I] didn’t realize that Cami had fallen down a couple feet behind him. But I think he just got the wind knocked out of him, and he seems to be totally fine now,” Cash said.
Caminero described the collision as mostly hitting him in the chest and said any lingering discomfort was limited to a headache. “I feel good. Feel good overall. Just my head hurts a little bit, but overall good,” Caminero said, calling the headache “just kind of the normal aftereffect … of feeling the hit, feeling the blow.”
DeLuca, who absorbed the impact in his left shoulder and hand, said he does not expect either injury to be an issue for himself or his teammate going forward. “Just two guys going hard at it, and obviously it’s pretty noisy. It’s hard to hear each other.
That’s about it. I think Cami’s good. I’m pretty good,” DeLuca said.
Caminero’s Status And The Rays’ Lineup
Caminero was checked on at the time of the collision and remained in the game at third base.
Caminero’s bat was part of a Rays lineup that had swept the New York Yankees in the ALDS without trailing in any game, according to the New York Post. That run ended with the Game 1 defeat to Cleveland, a contest the Rays led before Nathaniel Lowe’s hit helped lift the Guardians to the win.
Season Context
Caminero had one hit and one RBI in the loss.
What’s Next
Game 2 of the ALCS is Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET at Tropicana Field.
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