Riley O’Brien hit him in the third inning of the All-Star Game.
1 of 5 | American League third baseman Junior Caminero lies on the ground after being hit by a pitch from National League pitcher Riley O’Brien in the third inning of the 2026 MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Photo by Laurence Kesterson/UPI | License Photo
X-rays returned negative results for a broken bone in the hand of the Tampa Bay Rays’ Junior Caminero after he was hit by a pitch at the 2026 MLB All-Star Game.
American League manager John Schneider told reporters about the outcome after the 4-0 win over the National League on Tuesday in Philadelphia.
“That’s the last thing anyone wants to see, whether you are here or sitting at home,” Schneider said at Citizens Bank Park. “I know X-rays on Junior’s pinky were negative and everything seems to be OK.”
Schneider said he sent Rays manager Kevin Cash a text message to provide an update on the injury. St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Riley O’Brien hit Caminero in the left hand with a 97.6-mph sinker in the top of the third inning.
O’Brien replaced Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez to start the top of the inning. Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers hit his second pitch to center field for a single. Caminero settled and then watched a sweeper miss low and outside for a ball.
O’Brien then came inside with his sinker, which drilled Caminero’s left pinky finger. Caminero immediately fell to the ground and was tended to by a trainer. He jogged to the dugout and did not return.
Chicago White Sox infielder Miguel Vargas, who replaced Caminero, hit a 433-foot solo home run in the top of the eighth inning. O’Brien followed the hit-by-pitch by retiring the final three batters of the inning. Phillies pitcher Jesus Luzardo replaced him an inning later.
“He ended up pitching a clean inning after that,” National League manager Dave Roberts said of O’Brien. “I know he was happy to know there was no fracture or anything like that.”
Caminero, who wore a bandage over his left pinky finger, said that O’Brien went into the National League clubhouse to apologize for the incident.
“A 98-mph sinker on the hands, and it didn’t hit my bat at all,” Caminero said, according to MLB.com. “So look, it was a scary moment, but right now we feel really good, and we’re going to keep moving forward.”
Caminero, who reached the semifinals of the Home Run Derby on Monday in Philadelphia, hit a career-best .279 with 28 home runs and 59 RBIs through 94 appearances so far this season. The two-time All-Star hit .264 with 45 homers and 110 RBIs over 154 appearances last season.
He has the third-most home runs, third-best on-base plus slugging percentage (.927) and fourth-best slugging percentage (.555) in the American League, and is tied for the fifth-most runs scored and seventh-most hits in the league.
“Yeah, in the moment I was just scared, right,” Caminero said. “Kind of in that situation, right there in the moment, you’re thinking the worst, and I honestly thought something might have been broken. But look, thank you to God that everything’s fine, and now it’s just a little bit sore, but we’re all good.”
The Rays (56-38) are 5-5 over their last 10 games and remain in first place in the American League East. The second-place New York Yankees (54-42) trail by three games.
The Rays will play the third-place Boston Red Sox (46-48) at 1:35 p.m. EDT Friday in Boston. The Red Sox are on an MLB-best nine-game winning streak. They also won 13 of their last 15 contests, starting with a four-game sweep of the rival Yankees from June 25 to 28.
MLB: Cardinals’ Jordan Walker wins 2026 Home Run Derby
St Louis Cardinals slugger Jordan Walker competes in the final round of the 2026 MLB Home Run Derby at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on July 13, 2026. Walker won the Home Run Derby after hitting six consecutive home runs to defeat Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber. Photo by Laurence Kesterson/UPI | License Photo
