Getty

ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA – OCTOBER 19: Junior Caminero #13 of the Tampa Bay Rays hits a two run home run during the seventh inning against the Cleveland Guardians in game six of the American League Championship Series at Tropicana Field on October 19, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)

Junior Caminero is a superstar third baseman for the Tampa Bay Rays who has arrived on the biggest stage in baseball, the World Series.

He has been supported along the way by his family, his wife Francesca and his baby daughter who will soon turn 1 year old.

Caminero is one of the most pivotal parts of the Rays’ hopes of winning their first-ever World Series. To conquer the Milwaukee Brewers, Tampa Bay will need Caminero’s home run swing to carry the day.

The clinching game of the ALCS against the Cleveland Guardians featured a Caminero home run off the left field foul pole that he followed by taking a 38-second route around the bases with plenty of celebrating along the way.

The Rays, and Caminero’s family, would sure love to see more of that.

Here’s what you need to know about Caminero’s support system:

1. Junior Caminero’s Wife Joined Baseball Journey
GettyST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA – OCTOBER 19: Junior Caminero #13 of the Tampa Bay Rays celebrates after defeating the Cleveland Guardians in game six of the American League Championship Series at Tropicana Field on October 19, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)

Junior Caminero was well on the way to superstardom when he got engaged to his wife, Francesca.

They were engaged in November 2024, but not a lot of details are known about when they met or how long they were together before that.

Francesca and Junior welcomed a child together in 2025.

2. Junior Caminero’s Daughter Was Born After 2025 Season
GettyST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA – OCTOBER 19: Junior Caminero #13 of the Tampa Bay Rays celebrates after defeating the Cleveland Guardians in game six of the American League Championship Series at Tropicana Field on October 19, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)

Junior Caminero and his wife Francesca announced the birth of their first child in November 2025, after that MLB season ended.

Their daughter’s name is Valentina. There was a cute gender reveal to announce they were having a girl.

Above, there she is pictured celebrating with Junior after the Rays won the ALCS.

3. Junior Caminero Loves Being a Girl Dad
GettyST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA – OCTOBER 19: Junior Caminero #13 of the Tampa Bay Rays celebrates after defeating the Cleveland Guardians in game six of the American League Championship Series at Tropicana Field on October 19, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)

Junior Caminero spoke earlier this year about his role as a “girl dad.”

“This is my support every single day,” Caminero told Us Weekly. “She’s too young. [She] don’t know nothing in baseball right now… When I come home to my house, we have a room for my baby, and we play a little bit with the ball. That’s the best.”

Sounds like Caminero already has Valentina on her way to being an athlete, too.

4. Junior Caminero’s Brother Is Named After Yankees Manager
GettyMILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – OCTOBER 22: Junior Caminero #13 of the Tampa Bay Rays participates in workouts prior to game one of the 2026 World Series between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays at American Family Field on October 22, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

Caminero knew a lot about the Yankees growing up, and when his younger brother was born, he suggested Girardi as the name.

As in Yankees manager Joe Girardi:

When he was six years old in 2009, Junior Caminero suggested to name his new younger brother “Girardi” because of Yankees manager Joe Giardi

His family agreed and named him Girardi

Did Caminero, whose favorite player as a kid was Alex Rodriguez, grow up a big Yankees fan?

“Not necessarily. In that moment, the Yankees were really popular, especially with the Boston-New York rivalry. I watched a lot of games in the Dominican, whoever was on. In that moment, it was the Yankees. I was just watching baseball at that point.”

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) October 2, 2026

That’s quite the ironic outcome.

5. Junior Caminero Grew Up Dreaming Of This
GettyST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA – OCTOBER 19: Junior Caminero #13 of the Tampa Bay Rays celebrates after defeating the Cleveland Guardians in game six of the American League Championship Series at Tropicana Field on October 19, 2026 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)

Junior Caminero, growing up in the Dominican Republic, never imagined anything else.

“For me, baseball is my everything, my life. This is a dream come true for me,” Caminero told Us Weekly. “As a young kid, we dreamed of this. Now everybody knows me, and I thank God for the work put in every single day. I play for the best team in the American League right now. That’s always been the goal.”

He’s now four wins away from a World Series title.

Billy Heyen Billy Heyen is a Heavy contributor with focus on the NFL and MLB. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who spent his senior year following Jim Boeheim’s basketball team around the country. His reporting work has also included extensive work for The Sporting News, the Sandusky Register and Rochester’s Democrat & Chronicle. Adventures in sports writing have also led to in-person coverage of the Buffalo Sabres, Cleveland Guardians, U.S. men’s national soccer team and a variety of minor league baseball stories. More about Billy Heyen