Yordan Alvarez now stands alone atop the American League home run leaderboard with 37, pulling ahead of Junior Caminero, who had tied him at 36. The update was confirmed as of Saturday, August 29, 2026, with Alvarez holding a margin of roughly 2.7 percent over the runner-up — and that runner-up is a Ray, which makes this hurt in Tampa Bay.
Alvarez Separates Himself From Caminero in AL Home Run Race
The shift is one home run: Alvarez moved from sharing the AL lead at 36 to holding it outright at 37. For the Astros, Alvarez's solo lead adds to his AL-best 37 home runs. For Rays fans, it is a direct challenge to Caminero — who sits one back at 36 — to answer. With roughly a month remaining in the regular season, every at-bat in this race carries weight. Caminero moved from co-leader to runner-up on the AL leaderboard.
What We Know About Alvarez in 2026
- Alvarez is an active roster member for the Houston Astros, in his eighth MLB season
- He now leads the AL outright with 37 home runs
- His 37 HRs represent a 2.7% margin over runner-up Caminero, who sits at 36
The home run race between Alvarez and Caminero is exactly the kind of late-August storyline Rays fans cannot afford to tune out. Caminero held a share of the AL lead at 36 before Alvarez pulled ahead; the pressure is now on Caminero to respond in the final weeks of the regular season.
