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MLB All-Star Game, kids' Sandlot segment and Junior Caminero exits after hit-by-pitch

sportsJul 15, 2026912,040

In the top of the third inning at Citizens Bank Park, Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero exited the 2026 MLB All-Star Game after being hit in his left hand by a 97.6 mph sinker from St. Louis Cardinals reliever Riley O’Brien. Caminero crumpled near home plate, received trainer attention, then jogged off and was replaced by Chicago White Sox third baseman Miguel Vargas as a pinch runner; Vargas then took over at third base for the American League. Caminero underwent X-rays with a Philadelphia Phillies doctor, The Athletic’s Matt Gelb reported, and the Fox broadcast said the X-rays were negative. The 23-year-old, a two-time All-Star who had appeared in every Rays game this season, entered the break as a driving force on a first-place Tampa Bay team holding a three-game AL East lead over the New York Yankees. Caminero had competed in the Home Run Derby on Monday, losing in the semifinals to eventual winner Jordan Walker of the Cardinals.

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