The Boston Red Sox infield drama has been well-documented throughout the opening week of Spring Training. Alex Bregman signed a three-year, $120 million contract in free agency just before the start of camp and his arrival triggered a firestorm around where everybody will play next season.
While Rafael Devers and Triston Casas have added fuel to the fire, the wild card may be Kristian Campbell. The No. 2 prospect in the organization and the No. 4 prospect on Baseball America’s top 100 prospects list entering the 2024 season and many believe Campbell has a chance to make the Opening Day Roster. But while Campbell has a shot, he may have one final hurdle before he makes his major league debut.
Kristian Campbell’s Defense Could Prevent Him From Making Red Sox Opening Day Roster
The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey suggested that while Campbell’s bat may be ready for the major leagues, his defense is what could keep him in the minors for the start of the 2025 season. Campbell has been working heavily with manager Alex Cora, infield coach José Flores, Bregman and shortstop Trevor Story on his defense and the focus has been fine-tuning his footwork, pre-pitch setup and how he receives throws.
“While Campbell’s bat took a major step forward last season, there’s no sense in rushing him to the majors if he’s not quite ready defensively,” McCaffrey wrote. “I think he’ll be a good defender at second, but I’m sure the team wants to avoid putting him in a spot where the game gets too fast for him.”
A fourth-round pick by the Boston Red Sox in the 2023 MLB Draft, Campbell surged to the top of the prospect rankings after hitting .330/.439/.558 with 20 home runs, 77 RBI and 24 stolen bases in 32 attempts between High-A Greenville and Triple-A Worcester. But while he’s made significant strides with his bat, the Red Sox don’t want his defense to cause him to bounce back and forth when he’s ready for his debut.
While McCaffrey’s prognosis sounded grim for the 22-year-old’s chances of making the Opening Day roster, she also noted there was plenty of time for Campbell to make the improvements needed to make it happen.
“He played second over the weekend and looked good and there’s still plenty of time to get him ready for the season opener if they decide to promote him,” McCaffrey said. “Second base has been a revolving door at the position for the Red Sox since Dustin Pedroia’s injury and I think they’d like Campbell to stick once he does rather than bounce him back and forth to the minors.”
Campbell is among a stable of young prospects that could make the Red Sox Opening Day roster including outfield Roman Anthony and shortstop Marcelo Mayer. While a youth movement is exciting to think about for Red Sox fans, it also comes at a time when Boston is coming off of three last place finishes in the past five seasons.
Cora previously stated that the best players will make the trip to face the Texas Rangers on March 27 and Campbell’s defense will be something to monitor as he looks to crack the roster.