Article: Kristian Campbell Shouldn't Come Up to Boston Before 2026

[Alex Mayes]

Previously, I wrote about four potential names that could be called up once rosters expand to begin September. Little did I know that I’d bat .750 with three of the four names getting called up during the month of August. I noted at the bottom that Kristian Campbell was left off that list because even after the month-long tear he was on in Worcester at the time, I just couldn’t see the team bringing him up with no natural position to play after the team acquired Nathanial Lowe to play first and David Hamilton slotting in at second base. On top of that, there was a chance that Campbell could get back to the majors and fall flat on his face, again. That potential failure could have done a lot of long-term, and that’s something that the Red Sox should actively avoid.

So, correctly, the team opted for two other names to be called up instead: recently-signed catcher Ali Sanchez, and right-handed reliever Zack Kelly. Sure, those names aren’t striking fear into the hearts of the opponents, but it leaves some flexibility with the roster as Wilyer Abreu is preparing to return from his stint on the injured list. Campbell needs to spend the rest of the season with the WooSox to allow him to continue to rebuild his game on both sides of the ball with far less pressure than he would face with the big-league club.

If we look at Campbell’s numbers after his demotion, there’s not a ton there that suggests he would find his April footing should he be called back up. He’s currently slashing .265/.382/.412 with 30 RBIs, seven home runs, 32 walks, and 65 strikeouts in 57 against Triple-A arms. While it’s not bad, it doesn’t paint a picture of someone who is banging down the door to face big league pitching. There could be an argument to be made that him figuring it out at the major league level would be more beneficial—just look at how Roman Anthony has shined since his promotion in June—but that’s not a risk you take when you’re in the middle of a playoff hunt. He’s still young and having two less-than-stellar stints with the Sox could cause him to question if he can actually perform at the highest level. He seems like the type of player who could overcome that eventually, but there’s no reason to risk that situation when there are other members of the team that aren’t viewed as foundational pieces of the future of the team.

As it currently stands, Campbell also doesn’t have a natural position to play. David Hamilton is playing well at second, Nathanial Lowe and Romy Gonzalez are splitting time at first, and Trevor Story shouldn’t move off short for anyone not named Marcelo Mayer (who is now out for the season). The outfield is already too crowded, but with Anthony leaving Tuesday’s game with an oblique injury, there may be some movement there. One of the reasons it’s believed Campbell struggled so bad early in the season was because he had no true position on the field. He made appearances at second, left, and center while with the Red Sox, and he was preparing to play first base going into the road series at Atlanta before his demotion. Professional baseball is a hard enough sport to be successful in, and it has to be harder when you are shuffled around the field constantly. That’s not a knock on Alex Cora; the team needed Campbell to be that versatile, but for a rookie who just signed a life-changing extension, it made things even more difficult for him. Now, every spot he could play in is held by someone who has been more successful with the team. Keeping him at Worcester through the end of the season, unless there is another injury to a starter in the infield, will allow him to keep developing.

Expect Campbell to enter spring training in a competition for a spot on the diamond with the Boston Red Sox. His contract guarantees he will be a name considered no matter what, but it just doesn’t make sense to have him on the roster while the team is fighting for a playoff spot right now. Could he contribute? Probably, but not at a level that you can guarantee would be better than anyone currently on the 28-man roster. The best move here is to keep Campbell in the minors and give him a position to solely focus on for 2026. If he’s given a full offseason to work on one position, he should hold a tremendous advantage over anyone else he would be in competition with in spring training. Campbell is a good baseball player, and could be a star in this league, but the heat of a playoff chase isn’t the time for such a large question mark.

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[TedYazPapiMookie]

Haters and haters.  Funny how some guys get support from certain writers and others don't.

Trashing Campbell is ridiculous, but this inexperienced writer and baseball fan continues to miss the mark on certain players.  So, take his comments with a grain of salt.

The team is going so well, and this writer keeps choosing to be negative about specific players he has a bias against.  Here's is a suggestion, write another fluff story about Abreu, Hamilton or maybe Mayer and stop picking on Duran, Rafaela and Campbell, especially in the middle of a pennant race!!!

[mvp 78]

41 minutes ago, TedYazPapiMookie said:

Haters and haters.  Funny how some guys get support from certain writers and others don't.

Trashing Campbell is ridiculous, but this inexperienced writer and baseball fan continues to miss the mark on certain players.  So, take his comments with a grain of salt.

The team is going so well, and this writer keeps choosing to be negative about specific players he has a bias against.  Here's is a suggestion, write another fluff story about Abreu, Hamilton or maybe Mayer and stop picking on Duran, Rafaela and Campbell, especially in the middle of a pennant race!!!

He has not been good since being sent down to AAA. Maybe he just isn't recovered from the injury he suffered earlier in the season? Maybe he's still working on things? Most of us are actively rooting for Campbell and just don't want him put into a position where he's going to most likely fail.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

34 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

He has not been good since being sent down to AAA. Maybe he just isn't recovered from the injury he suffered earlier in the season? Maybe he's still working on things? Most of us are actively rooting for Campbell and just don't want him put into a position where he's going to most likely fail.

And it looks like that may be anywhere in the infield.

What position will Campbell play in the majors at a major league level?

Seriously, I'm not worried about KC becoming a good MLB hitter, as much as I just can't see anywhere on the field where he'll fit in as a core member of sustained contenders in Boston.

Right now, it may be more likely he'll be traded and wind up as the steady leftfielder for some mid-market city.

Does anyone think the Sox are going to instead trade Duran and Abreu and Garcia to open up a starting spot for Kristian Campbell?

 

[mvp 78]

20 minutes ago, 5GoldGlovesOF,75 said:

And it looks like that may be anywhere in the infield.

What position will Campbell play in the majors at a major league level?

Seriously, I'm not worried about KC becoming a good MLB hitter, as much as I just can't see anywhere on the field where he'll fit in as a core member of sustained contenders in Boston.

Right now, it may be more likely he'll be traded and wind up as the steady leftfielder for some mid-market city.

Does anyone think the Sox are going to instead trade Duran and Abreu and Garcia to open up a starting spot for Kristian Campbell?

 

He's "ok" at 1b, but really needs to just spend all offseason working on one position and just playing there. He's not naturally athletic enough that he can be moved all over the diamond. He's a LF/1B guy right now. In a perfect world he plays 2b, but he's kind of a mess there. 

I wouldn't trade anyone just to open up a spot for Campbell. He needs to earn a bench spot first. 

[moonslav59]

5 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

He's "ok" at 1b, but really needs to just spend all offseason working on one position and just playing there. He's not naturally athletic enough that he can be moved all over the diamond. He's a LF/1B guy right now. In a perfect world he plays 2b, but he's kind of a mess there. 

I wouldn't trade anyone just to open up a spot for Campbell. He needs to earn a bench spot first. 

Has his recent hot streak at AAA not been supported by the data?

He seems to be hitting better, recently, despite last night's 0-4.

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

1 minute ago, mvp 78 said:

He's "ok" at 1b, but really needs to just spend all offseason working on one position and just playing there. He's not naturally athletic enough that he can be moved all over the diamond. He's a LF/1B guy right now. In a perfect world he plays 2b, but he's kind of a mess there. 

I wouldn't trade anyone just to open up a spot for Campbell. He needs to earn a bench spot first. 

I agree he needs one position, but I'd argue that athleticism may be all he has right now.

Remember how he wowed the coaching staff with a running, diving catch in LF that popped out of his glove when he hit the ground? Management has moved him all over the diamond, trying to contrive versatility -- maybe make him another Marwin Gonzalez -- but KC's just not smooth enough anywhere. I saw him in CF in Worcester fall down trying to catch a pop-up.

Kristian Campbell is a professional athlete.

Nick Sogard is a pro ballplayer.

 

[moonslav59]

Perhaps KC's landing spot will be DH, where he can do one-handed push-up in the clubhouse when the opps are at bat.

Ooops, sorry, we already have a permanent DH and 5 more in waiting.

[notin]

It’s really weird to write this article about next year right after a huge void opened up in the Sox lineup. Let’s not pretend the Sox are now immune to future voids…

[mvp 78]

5 minutes ago, notin said:

It’s really weird to write this article about next year right after a huge void opened up in the Sox lineup. Let’s not pretend the Sox are now immune to future voids…

I'd rather they call up Toro than Campbell. 

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

1 hour ago, notin said:

It’s really weird to write this article about next year right after a huge void opened up in the Sox lineup. Let’s not pretend the Sox are now immune to future voids…

Void where prohibited. 

But not amateurhibited (just once I'd like to see some MLB team recruit a replacement player off the street who actually performs better than a big leaguer with a negative WAR -- until then, no one can ever prove guys like Kristian are worthless or worth less...).

[oldtimer]

Cora brought Sogard up based on his versatility. That gives us seven infielders with Rafaela potentially our eighth in a pinch. Eaton, Hamilton and Sogard are versatile but all are weak hitters. Cora didn't have a wide range of options. Campbell would be the main option and his performance is questionable. Password had insufficient time to acclimatize to the majors and would be a stretch, although our outfield is more limited now, even with Abreu coming back. He possibly has more thump in his bat but we will have to await 2026 to see him. 

[moonslav59]

I think versatility is not as valuable when you have a 28 man roster, but with 3 catchers, maybe it all evens out.

I kinda felt out team needs offense, and KC or Garcia probably offer the best shot at an O booster shot.

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

15 minutes ago, moonslav59 said:

I think versatility is not as valuable when you have a 28 man roster, but with 3 catchers, maybe it all evens out.

I kinda felt out team needs offense, and KC or Garcia probably offer the best shot at an O booster shot.

With this Sox inconsistent offense a 3rd catcher is like a screen door on a submarine.

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

Just now, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

With this Sox inconsistent offense a 3rd catcher is like a screen door on a submarine.

Bring up Password.

[moonslav59]

11 minutes ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

With this Sox inconsistent offense a 3rd catcher is like a screen door on a submarine.

Bring up PASSWORD to PH for Wong.

[TedYazPapiMookie]

My point is - Campbell being treated like crap by Cora means his future will be maximized if he is traded so he can find a place where the fan base is fair to him and the manager has a clue about baseball.  

This young exciting SS who was asked to learn 2B, then outfield (2 positions) then 1B after winning the Minor League Player of the Year award has been completely disrespected and we all know once that happens in Boston, they are going to want to leave like Mookie did.  Trade him now and let him find a team that loves him like LAD fans, front office and ownership love Mookie. 

The kid deserves better.  He should have gotten the Anthony/Mayer treatment instead he's not even getting the treatment of slugs like Hamilton, Wong. Abreu and Sogard.  Trade him because he will be shown far more respect than BOS gives him and that means more trade value than expected by the BOS haters.

[SPLENDIDSPLINTER]

56 minutes ago, TedYazPapiMookie said:

My point is - Campbell being treated like crap by Cora means his future will be maximized if he is traded so he can find a place where the fan base is fair to him and the manager has a clue about baseball.  

This young exciting SS who was asked to learn 2B, then outfield (2 positions) then 1B after winning the Minor League Player of the Year award has been completely disrespected and we all know once that happens in Boston, they are going to want to leave like Mookie did.  Trade him now and let him find a team that loves him like LAD fans, front office and ownership love Mookie. 

The kid deserves better.  He should have gotten the Anthony/Mayer treatment instead he's not even getting the treatment of slugs like Hamilton, Wong. Abreu and Sogard.  Trade him because he will be shown far more respect than BOS gives him and that means more trade value than expected by the BOS haters.

I call BS on this post. Campbell actually got better treatment than Mayer and Anthony. He made the team out of spring training and got off to fast start offensively. Opposing pitchers made adjustments and Campbell stopped hitting. The Sox FO showed a lot of patience with Campbell before sending him down. So where's the lack of respect? I expect to see Campbell eventually becoming an everyday player for the Sox once he gets his game together.

[illinoisredsox]

9 hours ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

I call BS on this post. Campbell actually got better treatment than Mayer and Anthony. He made the team out of spring training and got off to fast start offensively. Opposing pitchers made adjustments and Campbell stopped hitting. The Sox FO showed a lot of patience with Campbell before sending him down. So where's the lack of respect? I expect to see Campbell eventually becoming an everyday player for the Sox once he gets his game together.

Agree 100%.  Campbell earned his way on the team and then earned his way back to the minors via performance, not some dislike on the part of the manager or team management.  For what I assume is the first time in his life, he struggled at baseball.  As I’ve said elsewhere, he was promoted  too fast IMO.  He made the majors with less than 150 minor league games total, or about 1 minor league season.  Mookie was over 300.  Trout about the same.

As for TYPM’s insane complaint about being moved off of shortstop, I’ve pointed out to him that so were most other right handed infielders in the majors and more than a few right handed outfielders as well.  

There’s no hate for KC here. We want him to succeed.  But I’ll take the judgement of the people actually paid to make those decisions (and there are many) rather than the opinion of one disgruntled guy with a man crush on a young player.

 

 

[Hitch]

For what it's worth - I am starting to worry he'll even get to the level of a good hitter in the big leagues.

 

Add to that, he has no position - like, can't field well anywhere - and my early excitement and optimism around him is lessening with every passing day. 

[TedYazPapiMookie]

4 hours ago, SPLENDIDSPLINTER said:

I call BS on this post. Campbell actually got better treatment than Mayer and Anthony. He made the team out of spring training and got off to fast start offensively. Opposing pitchers made adjustments and Campbell stopped hitting. The Sox FO showed a lot of patience with Campbell before sending him down. So where's the lack of respect? I expect to see Campbell eventually becoming an everyday player for the Sox once he gets his game together.

He was sent down hitting .223 on June 20th while hitting at the bottom of the order while Anthony hit 3rd in the line-up while hitting under .100.  Being treated equally?  I don't see it.  By the all-star break the team was doing better and he was hitting again and guys like Hamilton, Sogard and others were brought up, so he has missed out on the experience of being in a pennant race.  Did the other guys need the experience when they won't be on the team in a year or two?  NOPE.  The kid was Minor League Player of the Year, an honor a guy like Hamilton or Sogard would never have the skill to earn. 

So why keep him down so long after he made his adjustments?  Lack of respect.  I don't' take issue with him being sent down I take issue with him staying down to learn positions that they went out and filled at the MLB level.  The whole season has been a waste of time for him.  That's why I say trade him for his sake.  Based on his performance prior to this season, Campbell never struggled like Mayer did in the minors.  Only Anthony and Campbell were pretty much studs their whole career.  Anthony struggled for the first time at the start of his call-up but was completely supported and Campbell proved he belonged for the first month and then struggled for the first time. 

Now the entire fan base is down him just like Duran two years ago and Rafaela last year.  It's a horrible way to run an organization.  Respect for his achievements prior to this season should have been greater than both Anthony and Mayer since he out performed them in 2024. 

The initial promotion had NOTHING to do with respect, it was about where the hole in the line-up was.  Anthony had Duran, Rafaela and Abreu in front of him.  Mayer had Story in front of him and Campbell had nobody blocking him so he got the call-up.  Your comment about that being respectful isn't true.  It was all about the roster not respect.

[notin]

10 hours ago, TedYazPapiMookie said:

My point is - Campbell being treated like crap by Cora means his future will be maximized if he is traded so he can find a place where the fan base is fair to him and the manager has a clue about baseball.  

This young exciting SS who was asked to learn 2B, then outfield (2 positions) then 1B after winning the Minor League Player of the Year award has been completely disrespected and we all know once that happens in Boston, they are going to want to leave like Mookie did.  Trade him now and let him find a team that loves him like LAD fans, front office and ownership love Mookie. 

The kid deserves better.  He should have gotten the Anthony/Mayer treatment instead he's not even getting the treatment of slugs like Hamilton, Wong. Abreu and Sogard.  Trade him because he will be shown far more respect than BOS gives him and that means more trade value than expected by the BOS haters.

Today’s forecast calls for partly sunny with a 0% chance of facts…

[moonslav59]

2 minutes ago, notin said:

Today’s forecast calls for partly sunny with a 0% chance of facts…

Give up. It's no use.

[mvp 78]

5 hours ago, TedYazPapiMookie said:

He was sent down hitting .223 on June 20th while hitting at the bottom of the order while Anthony hit 3rd in the line-up while hitting under .100.  Being treated equally?  I don't see it.  By the all-star break the team was doing better and he was hitting again and guys like Hamilton, Sogard and others were brought up, so he has missed out on the experience of being in a pennant race.  Did the other guys need the experience when they won't be on the team in a year or two?  NOPE.  The kid was Minor League Player of the Year, an honor a guy like Hamilton or Sogard would never have the skill to earn. 

So why keep him down so long after he made his adjustments?  

Now the entire fan base is down him just like Duran two years ago and Rafaela last year.  It's a horrible way to run an organization. 

Why do they yank Sogard, Hamilton, Eaton and others from AAA to BOS and back? Because they ultimately don't believe they have longterm value for the team. The see these guys as fungible assets that they can plug in as needed. They've left Campbell in AAA because they care about his progress and don't want to mess it up again by promoting him before he's ready. They see longterm value in Campbell and are going to protect that asset. Campbell looked awful in ST and probably didn't deserve the Opening Day spot. They trusted him and let him run with it anyway. Ultimately, it didn't work out.

Campbell has not made any adjustments this season. He is still struggling. He's whiffing at pitches in the zone and not making hard contact or pulling the ball. His defense is also not getting any better. 

Anthony is the far superior prospect no matter what award Campbell won last season. Campbell had his shot this season and saw his numbers plummet. Anthony had his shot this season and had his numbers climb throughout the year. When pitchers made adjustments to Anthony, he kept hitting. You can't say the same for Campbell. 

The fanbase isn't down on Campbell. They are being patient with Campbell and are honest about his true ceiling. He should be a fulltime player at some point, but maybe it just shouldn't be this year. That's how it works with prospects sometimes. 

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

5 hours ago, notin said:

Today’s forecast calls for partly sunny with a 0% chance of facts…

No politics, dammit!

[TedYazPapiMookie]

3 hours ago, mvp 78 said:

Why do they yank Sogard, Hamilton, Eaton and others from AAA to BOS and back? Because they ultimately don't believe they have longterm value for the team. The see these guys as fungible assets that they can plug in as needed. They've left Campbell in AAA because they care about his progress and don't want to mess it up again by promoting him before he's ready. They see longterm value in Campbell and are going to protect that asset. Campbell looked awful in ST and probably didn't deserve the Opening Day spot. They trusted him and let him run with it anyway. Ultimately, it didn't work out.

Campbell has not made any adjustments this season. He is still struggling. He's whiffing at pitches in the zone and not making hard contact or pulling the ball. His defense is also not getting any better. 

Anthony is the far superior prospect no matter what award Campbell won last season. Campbell had his shot this season and saw his numbers plummet. Anthony had his shot this season and had his numbers climb throughout the year. When pitchers made adjustments to Anthony, he kept hitting. You can't say the same for Campbell. 

The fanbase isn't down on Campbell. They are being patient with Campbell and are honest about his true ceiling. He should be a fulltime player at some point, but maybe it just shouldn't be this year. That's how it works with prospects sometimes. 

Once again, you missed the point of the comments so you can rant about theories you believe to be true but aren't.  The comment was about support not performance.  That's precisely why I continue to ask you not to comment on my posts.  Also, the writer appears to be as off topic as you since he gave you a thumbs up, very much the mob mentality I've discussed in the past.

FYI.... your AAA report was completely bogus.  I follow him daily and watch video so keep your bogus data to yourself.  If you understood the game better, you would know that players go on hot streaks and cold streaks, and his 2025 season has seen him go hot early in his MLB career unlike the other prospects then when he struggled the reaction by the big club led by the idiot manager was to simply dump him.  Did they bat him third when things were going badly?  Nope.  Thats the treatment reserved for Anthony and despite his humiliating numbers Anthony rebounded because they had his back. 

I'm not sure Mayer ever had much of a hot streak this year but for a short while he hit a few home runs but as usual he got hurt.  They carried him while his average and overall performance was less than Campbell's.  Why?  Because they have his back.  Mayer should have been sent down when he had failed as long as Campbell did, but they kept him in the majors because once again, they have his back.  This should be very clear to any knowledgeable baseball fan that there is a double standard in the organization that's been there since Henry bought the club.  When Swihart is the golden boy not Mookie, you know there are issues.  When Mayer is preferred over Campbell, you know there are issues.  It's just that simple.  You rationalizing the team's behavior doesn't make the obvious not true, it simply speaks to your loyalties not your baseball knowledge.

Like I've stated before, trade the kid so he can rebuild his confidence with an organization that appreciates him.  Maybe trade him to Milwaukee like Priester so he has the support of the organization.  He sure as heck has no support right now from BOSTON'S MLB manager, the front office or the poorly informed segment of the fan base (the segment that makes ridiculous comments about him being a utility player and he has no position).  Give the kid a break and trade him so he can develop into the all-star that showed his elite skills in 2024 and every year before that!!!

[5GoldGlovesOF,75]

Breaking news

The main culprit in this forum's idiotic, biased Campbell-Mayer debate has been exposed: the clubbie -- whichever one was doing laundry on game days. 

It's so obvious... someone accidentally switched Kristian's and Marcelo's uniform jerseys and hung them in opposite lockers pregame. The two rookies, still trying to adjust to big league life, may have even noticed, but wore them anyway, thinking it was routine new guy hazing set up by the veteran players.

So whenever idiotic and biased front office personnel, uniformed management, and club-affiliated media described one rookie as smooth as silk at three different infield positions, they really meant the other guy.

As for we dumb fans who know nothing about a game we all played -- some at various competitive levels most of our lives -- the only thing we know for sure is that we watched one neophyte second baseman this year that was as smooth as 24-grit coarse sandpaper.

[mvp 78]

My fellow TalkSoxers,

Let me head off any rumors that may be going around right now.

No, I will never stop posting! I've been on here for 17 years and am just getting warmed up.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. 

[moonslav59]

7 hours ago, mvp 78 said:

Why do they yank Sogard, Hamilton, Eaton and others from AAA to BOS and back? Because they ultimately don't believe they have longterm value for the team. The see these guys as fungible assets that they can plug in as needed. They've left Campbell in AAA because they care about his progress and don't want to mess it up again by promoting him before he's ready. They see longterm value in Campbell and are going to protect that asset. Campbell looked awful in ST and probably didn't deserve the Opening Day spot. They trusted him and let him run with it anyway. Ultimately, it didn't work out.

Campbell has not made any adjustments this season. He is still struggling. He's whiffing at pitches in the zone and not making hard contact or pulling the ball. His defense is also not getting any better. 

Anthony is the far superior prospect no matter what award Campbell won last season. Campbell had his shot this season and saw his numbers plummet. Anthony had his shot this season and had his numbers climb throughout the year. When pitchers made adjustments to Anthony, he kept hitting. You can't say the same for Campbell. 

The fanbase isn't down on Campbell. They are being patient with Campbell and are honest about his true ceiling. He should be a fulltime player at some point, but maybe it just shouldn't be this year. That's how it works with prospects sometimes. 

Well said, MVP.

[moonslav59]

1 hour ago, mvp 78 said:

My fellow TalkSoxers,

Let me head off any rumors that may be going around right now.

No, I will never stop posting! I've been on here for 17 years and am just getting warmed up.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. 

 

LMAO!

He wants you to stop responding to his posts, but keeps responding to yours. He's demanding the last word. Too funny!

We know you would never let that happen.

This poster is wrong more than the "poster not to be named." I never seen a poster where I disagree on nearly every word typed. He comes close.