Rays' Junior Caminero Enters 2026 MLB Home Run Derby Field for All-Star Showcase in Philadelphia

The first participant in the 2026 MLB Home Run Derby was unveiled on Tuesday.

Tampa Bay Rays slugger Junior Caminero announced that he will take part in the All-Star showcase, which will be held in Philadelphia on Monday, July 13.

Caminero is tied for fifth in the majors with 22 home runs, and his .292 batting average this season is a career-high.

Caminero will be extra motivated to take home the trophy this year, as he made it to the final round of the 2025 Home Run Derby before losing to Seattle Mariners slugger Cal Raleigh. He went on to finish the 2025 season with 45 homers, which ranked sixth in MLB.

Per MLB.com, Caminero is the first Rays player to represent the team twice in the Home Run Derby. His 23rd birthday is this Sunday, and he would become the youngest Derby champion in MLB history if he wins this year, surpassing Juan Gonzalez in 1993 (23 years, 265 days).

This year's Home Run Derby is the first to be streamed live on Netflix and will feature a new format, switching from timed rounds to a swing-based format in which participants will start each round with a finite number of swings: 20 in the first round, 15 in the second and 15 again in the final round.

It will be fun to see who else joins Caminero in the field for the 2026 Home Run Derby, but the youngster could be considered the favorite regardless of his competition.