It was an odd season for the Tampa Bay Rays last year. Hurricane Milton wreaked havoc on Tropicana Field, making the team play its home games at Steinbrenner Field. 

Moving to a brand-new field can be tough, and that, combined with a lack of offensive depth and injuries, played a big role in them finishing 77-85 last season and missing the postseason. 

However, they were still a fun team to watch. Junior Caminero and Yandy Diaz both had breakout seasons at the plate, and the club is hoping they can do more of the same in 2026. 

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MLB analyst questions Junior Caminero’s ability to avoid major regression

Junior Caminero got his first full season in the big leagues last year, and he was outstanding. Across 154 games, the slugger hit .264/.311/.535 with 45 home runs and 110 runs batted in. 

Despite these impressive numbers, Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter questions his ability to replicate them in 2026. 

“Caminero had some of the most dramatic home and road splits of any hitter in baseball, and the Rays are set to move back to Tropicana Field in 2026 after playing their home games at Steinbrenner Field in 2025. He also had an unusually high 46.5 percent groundball rate for a power hitter, giving further reason for pause when assessing the likelihood of him duplicating his huge power numbers.”

Reuter suggests that moving back to Tropicana Field could have a huge impact on his offensive numbers. He also had a high groundball rate, which raises an eyebrow. Caminero may be a product of getting too hot and having expectations that are too high.

He could certainly come into spring and pick up right where he left off, but 45 home runs is a lot of balls to put over the fence. 

It will be interesting to see how he looks at the plate in the next few months.

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