I had a real good thing going for me, and I got sidetracked. It doesn't have to be that way. It doesn't have to be drugs. It doesn't have to be alcohol. That part of my life is over.

In 1988 Caminiti returned to the minor leagues playing with the Triple-A Tucson Toros of the Pacific Coast League before he was called up to stay late in the season. Preliminary news reports indicated he died of a heart attack but the autopsy results stated that "acute intoxication due to the combined effects of cocaine and opiates" caused his death with coronary artery disease and cardiac hypertrophy (an enlarged heart) as contributing factors. He died of a drug overdose on October 10 2004.

He died of a drug overdose on October 10 2004. Kenneth Gene Caminiti (April 21 1963 – October 10 2004) was an American third baseman who spent fifteen seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Houston Astros (1987–1994 1999–2000) San Diego Padres (1995–1998) Texas Rangers (2001) and Atlanta Braves (2001).