Caminero is in the lineup, and that tells you most of what you need to know about Tampa Bay's depth

He played Game 5. Junior Caminero, foot and all, was in the lineup as he said he would be. "If my foot is broken, I'll play tomorrow" — he said that after getting hurt during the Rays' rally in Game 4, and he meant it. The Rays are down 2-0 in the World Series against Milwaukee, and their third baseman is playing through a lower body injury because the alternative is Ben Williamson, who has been fine this season but is a significant step down from what Caminero brings every night.

That drop-off at third base is the sharpest position vulnerability on this roster, and it matters more now than it did in April. The Rays already have six players unavailable — five on the 60-day IL plus Shane McClanahan, who has been out since early October. McClanahan was 13-7 with a 3.16 ERA before going down; that's a real arm that isn't available. The World Series roster swap Tampa Bay made was adding Garrett Cleavinger and removing Brody Hopkins, a bullpen adjustment that doesn't address the bigger picture of a thin lineup leaning heavily on a hobbled player.

Yandy Díaz and Jonathan Aranda are both healthy and producing, and Freddy Peralta — the ALCS MVP who used to pitch for the Brewers — gives the Rays a genuine weapon at the top of the rotation. Drew Rasmussen has been the best starter on this staff all season. The pieces are there. But the margin for error in a World Series already tilted toward Milwaukee is narrow, and every game Caminero plays through pain is a game where Tampa Bay is hoping the foot holds rather than knowing it will.