Boston Red Sox fans were probably in a good mood on Monday morning. The Red Sox took two of three games from the first-place New York Yankees over the weekend and felt a breath of fresh air as they opened a three-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays. But just as Boston felt great with a rematch at Fenway Park approaching, they received good news with the call-up of top prospect Roman Anthony.
Roman Anthony indeed joining Red Sox, source confirms to @TheAthletic. Batting fifth tonight. Wilyer Abreu to injured list.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) June 9, 2025
Anthony established himself as the top prospect in baseball, hitting .288/.423/.491 with 10 homers and 29 RBIs in 58 games at Triple-A Worcester. While the past few weeks have been filled with general manager speak and a 497-foot grand slam, Anthony’s arrival will trigger a celebration when he steps into the batter’s box as the No. 5 hitter on Monday night, but not for everyone.
A fellow top prospect may be feeling some added pressure after Anthony makes his major league debut and it could put him back in the minors if he doesn’t find his stride soon.
Roman Anthony’s Red Sox Call-Up Puts More Pressure on Kristian Campbell
Things were going great for Kristian Campbell as he began his major league career. The 22-year-old shook off a rough Spring Training and some infield drama to make the Opening Day roster, and he was rewarded with an eight-year, $60 million contract extension shortly after the season began.
While Campbell responded by hitting .313/.420/.515 with four homers and 12 RBIs in his first 28 games, he’s been in a nasty slump since, hitting .159/.224/.224 with two homers and eight RBIs in his last 30 games. The struggles have gotten so bad that manager Alex Cora didn’t dismiss the possibility that Campbell could be sent down to the minors when talking to reporters last week.
“We want him to get it here. That’s the most important thing,” Cora said on June 4. “We don’t rule anything out. But right now, he’s going to play here, and he’s going to get at-bats here, and we’re going to keep pushing him to be better.”
Putting Campbell next to another super prospect may be one way to get him going.
Anthony has raked at each level of professional baseball and many expect him to keep hitting now that he’s in the major leagues. But while many believe there won’t be issues, president of baseball operations Craig Breslow repeatedly cited Anthony’s development as an excuse for not calling him up sooner and may not want him to fall into the same struggle that Campbell has.
The good news is that Campbell closed out the Yankees series with back-to-back multi-hit games and hit a home run in Sunday’s series finale. If Campbell wants to stay in the majors, he may have to turn a few good games into a hot streak and hold off one of the top prospects in baseball.