Kameron Misner
Kameron Lee Misner
- Bats Left, Throws Left
- Height 6' 4", Weight 218 lb.
- School University of Missouri
- High School Poplar Bluff High School
- Debut August 2, 2024
- Born January 9, 1998 in Poplar Bluff, MO USA
Related Sites[edit]
Outfielder Kameron Misner was drafted by the Miami Marlins in the supplemental first round of the 2019 amateur draft, with the 35th overall pick, out of the University of Missouri, as the first pick of Competitive Balance Round A. Three years earlier, in 2016, he had been a 33rd round selection by the Kansas City Royals coming out of high school, falling well down the draft order due to his college commitment. He signed with the Marlins for a reported $2.1 million bonus.
He began his professional career in 2019, first with the GCL Marlins and then with the Clinton LumberKings, batting a combined .270/.388/.362 in 42 games. He then had to sit out the 2020 season as the Coronavirus pandemic shut down the minor leagues. He returned in 2021 with the Beloit Snappers of the High-A Central, playing 88 games, before getting a late-season promotion to the Pensacola Blue Wahoos of the Double-A South, where he played another 14 games. Between the two stops, his batting line was .253/.355/.433 in 102 games, with 29 doubles, 12 homers and 59 RBIs. He also played in the Arizona Fall League after the season. On November 30th, he was traded straight-up to the Tampa Bay Rays in return for major league IF Joey Wendle, a productive player who was coming off an All-Star season.
He played two and a half season in the Rays system before making his major league debut on August 2, 2024. In 2022, he hit .251 in 117 games for the Montgomery Biscuits of the AA Southern League, with 16 homers and 62 RBIs and was named a league post-season All-Star. In 2023, he hit .226 in 130 games for the Durham Bulls in the AAA International League, with 21 homers and 58 RBIs. In 2024, he started the season with Durham, hitting .246 with 15 homers and 45 RBIs in 94 games. In his debut, he was inserted as a pinch-runner for Yandy Diaz in the 8th inning of a 3-2 loss against the Houston Astros. he did not score, then stayed in the game playing left field and flied out to left field against Josh Hader in the 9th for the final out of the game. He ended up going 1 for 15 with 10 strikeouts in 8 games, with his only hit a single.
He was the hero of the Rays' first game of the 2025 season, which was played on March 29th in their temporary home of Steinbrenner Field. He was originally scheduled to start the season in the minors, but was called back to the Rays just before Opening Day when Richie Palacios went on the injured list. A series of injuries and substitutions in that day's game against the Colorado Rockies had him enter the game as a defensive replacement in the outfield in the 8th. He then led off the bottom of the 9th and hit a walk-off home run on Victor Vodnik's first pitch to give Tampa Bay a 3-2 victory. It was only the second Opening Day walk-off homer in Rays history, with Carl Crawford the only other one to have accomplished the feat, in 2003, and he was the first player in major league history to have his first career homer come as a walk-off blast on Opening Day.
Further Reading[edit]
- Adam Berry: "Misner, Rays walk off on Rox in Opening Day stunner at Steinbrenner: Defensive replacement makes MLB history, just 'like a Hollywood movie script'", mlb.com, March 28, 2025. [1]
- Anne Rogers: "Royals acquire outfielder Misner in trade with Rays", mlb.com, November 10, 2025. [2]
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