Rays third baseman Junior Caminero closed June with 7 home runs in his last 5 games. He’s hitting .333 with a 1.041 OPS in his last 42 games. Yet that may have obscured something important.
His defense was pretty good too.
In fact, it was so good that Caminero is one of our Defensive Player of the Month selections for June. Our other honorees are Guardians shortstop Brayan Rocchio and Marlins catcher Joe Mack.
Caminero led third basemen with 8 Defensive Runs Saved for the month, pulling his season total at the position up from -5 entering the month to 3 Runs Saved. His 5 Good Fielding Plays were one shy of the MLB lead at third base (think of those highlight-reel plays and things like keeping a ball from getting through the infield).
Caminero did a variation of this last year too. He entered June 2025 with -7 Runs Saved but got better as the season progressed and improved to -5 by the end of 2025. This season, he’s already a positive defender in terms of his Runs Saved. The improvement has come in his being better at fielding balls hit to his left, at least so far.
June Defensive Runs Saved Leaders – 3rd Base
|
Player |
Team |
Runs Saved |
|
Junior Caminero |
Rays |
8 |
|
Alex Bregman |
Cubs |
7 |
|
Matt Chapman |
Giants |
5 |
|
Kazuma Okamoto |
Blue Jays |
4 |
|
David Hamilton |
Brewers |
4 |
Rocchio looked like he was going to be a defensive star in 2024 when he totaled 11 Runs Saved as a rookie. But last season his numbers took a hit both at shortstop and second base, as he split time between the positions.
This season his shortstop numbers weren’t great for the first couple of months but they got a boost in June. His 7 Runs Saved at shortstop were one shy of the MLB lead (Mookie Betts had 8). Rocchio’s Defensive Runs Saved for the season went from -4 to 3, even as his offensive numbers took a hit after a hot start.
June Defensive Runs Saved Leaders – Shortstops
|
Player |
Team |
Defensive Runs Saved |
|
Mookie Betts |
Dodgers |
8 |
|
Brayan Rocchio |
Guardians |
7 |
|
Geraldo Perdomo |
Diamondbacks |
6 |
|
Cooper Pratt |
Brewers |
4 |
|
Jorge Mateo |
Braves |
3 |
|
Zach McKinstry |
Tigers |
3 |
Mack and the Marlins are coming off an incredible June in which the team went 20-6 and the pitching staff posted an MLB-best 3.01 ERA. Mack, a rookie who didn’t debut until early May, started 21 of those games and the Marlins went 17-4 in them.
Mack has dramatically changed the Marlins’ catching situation for the better. Last year, the team allowed an MLB-high 191 stolen bases. This season, basestealers have 23 steals in 38 attempts against Mack, but 53 in 60 attempts against Miami’s other catchers. In June, Mack threw out 9 of 17 would-be basestealers. He rates as an above-average pitch framer thus far too. His combination of skills has put him among the catcher leaders for Runs Saved this season.
2026 Defensive Runs Saved Leaders – MLB Catchers
|
Player |
Team |
Defensive Runs Saved |
|
Luis Torrens |
Mets |
8 |
|
Brandon Valenzuela |
Blue Jays |
7 |
|
Joe Mack |
Marlins |
6 |
|
Tyler Heineman |
Angels |
6 |
|
Dillon Dingler |
Tigers |
6 |
