Junior Caminero's 2 HRs are big for Rays. So is Kenny Piper's debut.

Marc Topkin, Tampa Bay Times on Aug 3, 2026

Published in Baseball

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DENVER — There was a lot for the Tampa Bay Rays to like in Monday’s 13-9 win over the Colorado Rockies.

Certainly, Junior Caminero’s two home runs — carrying 422 and 442 feet — in his first three at-bats in the Coors Field altitude, giving him 32 for the season. Plus, four hits from Jonathan Aranda.

And definitely the solid six innings by starter Ian Seymour, who gave up two runs, scattering seven hits (one homer) and striking out nine. (Not so much the bullpen, which allowed seven runs over the final three innings.)

But, perhaps more than anything, the presence of Kenny Piper, the 28-year-old career minor leaguer who was summoned from Double A for the day and made his major-league debut.

Piper had made three outs and walked (coming around to score) his first four times up, then singled in the ninth for his first hit. He caught all nine innings, handling Seymour, Michael Grove, Casey Legumina and Kevin Kelly.

But he played, and he had trouble Monday afternoon as he stood in front of a locker with a No. 50 Rays jersey even grasping that opportunity.

“I don’t know that I could put to words what my thoughts are right now,” he said. “This is something that I’ve dreamt of my whole life. It feels very surreal. Been just trying to slow down and catch my breath since I got the news.”

Knowing they might be shuffling catchers leading up to Monday’s 6 p.m. ET trade deadline, the Rays told Piper Sunday night he was flying to Denver on Monday morning and to wait at the team hotel for further instruction.

Late Monday afternoon, after they made a deal with Miami to acquire catcher Liam Hicks (who couldn’t make it to Denver in time for the game) and traded catcher Hunter Feduccia back to the Los Angeles Dodgers, manager Kevin Cash called Piper and told him to head to the field.

Piper has been in major-league spring training the last three years, so he knows most of the players and staff. And he has played parts of this season and last at Triple-A Durham.

But the bulk of his time has been at lower levels. He was spending part of his third straight season with Montgomery when he got the call on Sunday.

With the win, the Rays improved their American League-leading record to 66-46 and expanded their East Division lead over the New York Yankees to 3 1/2 games.

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