Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 Houston reported late Sunday that Kristian Campbell is set to break camp with the Boston Red Sox, becoming the first of the team’s heralded âBig Threeâ trio of prospects to make his Major League debut. Campbell is currently ranked as the Red Sox’ second-best prospect, behind outfielder Roman Anthony.
When spring camp opened, the second base battle was considered a three-man race between Campbell, David Hamilton, and offseason acquisition Vaughn Grissom. But the competition slowly whittled down as spring training drew to a close last week. Despite early speculation that Alex Bregman, Boston’s high-profile defensive addition, might shift to second, the veteran remained entrenched at third base in place of Rafael Devers all spring, clearing the path for Campbell.
Last season, Campbellâs bat was one of the best in the minor leagues. He surged through three levels of the Red Sox system, finishing in Triple-A Worcester with a .330/.439/.558 line, 20 home runs, and 24 stolen bases.
‘It’s Gonna Look a Lot Better’
Campbell has worked extensively (and sometimes controversially) with the analytics firm Driveline to modify his swing.
âI look at that player like, âNoooo! What are you doing?!â â Campbell said about reviewing video of his swing in college to Baseball America in October 2024. âI see some videos of my old swing and I donât like it. It worked, for sure, but I see it and Iâm like, âDang, I looked like that? It worked at the time, but itâs gonna look a lot better in less than a year.â
Campbell is expected to slot into the bottom third of the Red Sox lineup to start the seasonâlikely hitting seventh, eighth, or ninth. Given his struggles at the plate during spring training and the team’s desire to ease him into the big leagues, Boston is unlikely to thrust him into a high-leverage spot right away.
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