Rays Need Junior Caminero to Wake Up Before It's Too Late

The Tampa Bay Rays are now facing a difficult situation in the American League Championship Series after falling 3-2 to the Cleveland Guardians in Game 3 on Thursday.

And while there are plenty of things to criticize about the performance, I think the biggest concern continues to be the lack of offensive production from Tampa Bay's biggest stars.

Especially Junior Caminero.

The Rays' star slugger had arguably his worst performance of the season against Cleveland, going 0-for-4 with four strikeouts.

And it wasn't necessarily because Gavin Williams was throwing pitches that were impossible to hit. Caminero consistently took hittable pitches early in counts before chasing balls well outside the strike zone.

That's something we haven't seen much of throughout the regular season. A year where he has surely earned votes for American League MVP.

And I think it's fair to wonder whether Caminero is trying to do too much at the plate.

The 45-home-run slugger still hasn't hit a home run this postseason, and his batting average sits at .238 with a .666 OPS.

Those numbers certainly aren't what Tampa Bay needs from one of its biggest offensive weapons.

But Caminero isn't the only player struggling.

Yandy Díaz is hitting .240 with a .589 OPS, while Jonathan Aranda has managed just a .182 batting average and .568 OPS.

Victor Mesa Jr. is hitting .143, and Liam Hicks isn't doing much better at .167.

These are supposed to be the players carrying Tampa Bay's offense.

Instead, the Rays have relied on contributions from the bottom of their lineup.

Chandler Simpson delivered Tampa Bay's only two runs Thursday with an impressive two-RBI triple against Williams.

Richie Palacios has also provided some important hits, while Jonny DeLuca has been one of Tampa Bay's more productive hitters throughout the series.

But that can't continue being the expectation.

Tampa Bay won 98 games during the regular season because it had a lineup capable of consistently putting the baseball in play and creating scoring opportunities.

However, the Rays have yet to score more than four runs in a postseason game.

And Thursday might've been the most frustrating example.

Tampa Bay managed just three hits and struck out 13 times, including seven strikeouts from the top of the batting order.

The Rays also went down in order in seven of their nine offensive innings.

That's not going to get the job done in October.

Especially against a Cleveland team that has consistently taken advantage of its opportunities.

Now, I'm not suggesting Tampa Bay's season is over.

The Rays are only trailing 2-1 in a seven-game series, and there's still plenty of baseball left to play.

But if Tampa Bay wants to reach the World Series, its biggest offensive stars need to start playing like it.

And that starts with Junior Caminero.