Welcome back: The Rays are happy to have their elite player back from injury.
INF Junior Caminero (No. 1 on the Rays’ Top 30 Prospects list; left quad strain)
Anticipated yield: Caminero is hitting.933 with five RBIs and three home runs in five rehab games in the Rookie-level Florida Complex League following the All-Star break. The Rays’ top prospect went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in his first rehab game on July 9 and again on July 15. After suffering a Grade 2 left quad strain on May 28 while sprinting out a ground ball for Triple-A Durham, Caminero was placed on the Minor League seven-day injured list on May 29.
The powerful third baseman debuted in the Major Leagues in September of last year, but three games into the 2024 Triple-A season, a left quad strain kept him out of the field. season, then, on April 14, just six weeks after his comeback, he went back on the injured list due to a left quad strain. Caminero has eight home runs and a batting average of.261/.333/.478 in 39 games with Durham. It is anticipated that he will rejoin the Bulls following the All-Star break. (Updated as of July 15)
LHP Richard Lovelady (strain of the left forearm flexor)
Anticipated yield: Most likely July Lovely, who was acquired from the Cubs in May, pitched a scoreless inning against the Orioles the day before he was placed on the 15-day disabled list on June 8 due to a left forearm flexor strain. During that inning, the left-handed reliever reported feeling “a little tightness right below my bicep” on a 2-2 fastball; however, he was able to end the game by throwing two more sliders. He claimed he had never felt the injury before and had never had to deal with a problem quite like it, so he wasn’t unduly alarmed or concerned about it.
On July 8, Lovelady began a rehab assignment with the FCL Rays at the rookie level, giving up four runs on three hits registering two strikeouts and giving up four runs on three hits and a walk. On July 11, he worked a scoreless inning with just one strikeout for Triple-A Durham. Lovelady is 2-4 this season with a 7.62 ERA in 15 games, which includes a 2-3 record with a 7.36 ERA in eight games pitched for the Rays. (Updated as of July 12)
