The Boston Red Sox have had an up-and-down start to the 2025 MLB season. Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Texas Rangers dropped the Red Sox's record to 1-2 to begin the year, leaving time to tell if Alex Cora's club has what it takes to split the season-opening series with an all-important win on Sunday.
Even though it hasn't been the best start to the new season, the Red Sox's early performance hasn't been without positives. Top prospect Kristian Campbell has exceeded all expectations after making the Opening Day roster, which includes hitting his first-ever MLB home run to tie up the game during Saturday's fourth inning.
The solo bomb was just Campbell's latest way of impressing the Red Sox, and it's gotten to the point where the club is already trying to lock him down for the foreseeable future.
Red Sox Eyeing Contract Extension for Kristian Campbell
MassLive's Chris Cotillo reported on Saturday night that the Red Sox "are in deep talks on a contract extension" with Campbell following a strong start to the 2025 campaign.
"One source close to the negotiations described a deal as 'close' and a Red Sox source characterized the team as hopeful of getting a deal done as of late Saturday night," Cotillo wrote. "Terms are not yet known and the team has not confirmed an agreement."
On the night he hit his first major league home run, Kristian Campbell and the Red Sox are in deep talks on a contract extension, according to multiple sources.
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) March 30, 2025
Drafted in the fourth round of the 2023 MLB draft, it hasn't taken Campbell long to become one of baseball's top young players. In fact, the Chattanooga, TN native headed into Opening Day as the No. 7 prospect on MLB.com's pre-2025 rankings.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora named Campbell the club's starting second baseman earlier this month despite a lackluster spring training performance. Fortunately, the decision has paid off as the 22-year-old stud has already registered five hits (including a double and HR), an RBI, and a pair of walks while slashing .500/.583/.900 in his first 12 plate appearances.
Although it's a small sample size and things can change on a dime, Campbell is already proving he's more than capable of being a big-league player.
The 6-foot-3 slugger can improve his chances of signing an extension soon with another strong performance against the Rangers on Sunday. His hot start to the season has also been good enough to leave him as FanDuel Sportsbook's +430 favorite to win the 2025 AL Rookie of the Year award.
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