Kristian Campbell was, at one point, a piece of the future for the Red Sox. But now, this future is getting bleaker every game he plays. He had an outstanding start to the season, where he was one of the better players on the team.
At the end of April, he was batting .301 with a .902 OPS, .495 slugging percentage, and 31 total hits on the season. He earned himself an 8-year, $60M contract extension with the Red Sox. But after April, he was never the same.
Pitchers adjusted their approach to him and focused more on his weaknesses (outside offspeed and the inside fastball). The former Minor League Player of the Year in 2024 had slumped hard in the majors. From May 4th to June 18th (before the time of his demotion), he was hitting a mere .159, struck out 40 times, had an OPS of .465, and a slugging percentage of .222. In his 140 plate appearances, he only had 20 hits.
Things Went from Bad to Worse for Kristian Campbell Since Red Sox Demotion
He was demoted and sent back down to AAA Worcester on June 19th. Now, it's almost been a month since this happened, and he's now struggling even further. He's batting .200, with only 1 HR, 8 RBIs, and a .696 OPS. He's been real quiet since this time, and obviously, this demotion is hitting him hard. Everyone knows what Campbell is capable of, but he hasn't been mentally tapping into it, from what it seems.
Now, many will place the blame on Campbell and call it a day. But no, he is not the person to be pointing fingers at. The finger that needs to be pointed at is Craig Breslow and the Red Sox organization. Breslow was the one who wanted Campbell to make the Opening Day Roster, but here are the facts: He only played 19 games in AAA Worcester before making the roster out of Spring Training.
There's a problem with rushing players, and Campbell is the centerpiece of that this season. He is not to blame for not developing his swing to his best ability or being a defensive liability at second base; it's the Red Sox. Many wanted Marcelo Mayer or Roman Anthony to make the roster. While they did so later in the season, many would agree that Roman was the one who should've made it. But because of roster construction, Breslow felt it was better to bring in Campbell.
They should've done two things. One was to keep Campbell in AAA and call up Nick Sogard. After the way he was playing in 2024, batting .273 with 8 RBIs and 25 hits in 77 at-bats, he would've been a great bench bat. Romy Gonzalez has been on a tear this year, and with the way the Red Sox were performing early on this season, he should've been in more games. He would've gotten that shot if Campbell hadn't gotten called up.
Even if Campbell switched up with Mayer and Anthony and got called up in May or June like they did, there would've been a better chance that he could've eased better into the role at second base. He would've had more time to train at second and learn the position. Overall, he was a better outfielder in the minor leagues than he was as an infielder. But because he played second at Georgia Tech, they committed to putting him at second base.
This whole situation is a mess, but with this demotion and the much-needed mid-season break, Kristian Campbell can rebound and finally get out of that slump he's in. He's got the potential; last year proved that in spades. Everyone misses him in the majors, so let's hope he's figuring himself out.