The puzzle pieces might be starting to fall into place for the Red Sox, slowly but surely.
Boston manager Alex Cora told reporters in Milwaukee on Wednesday that the club is looking at playing Kristian Campbell at first base for at least one game this weekend in Atlanta.
“There’s a chance Kristian is going to play first base this weekend in Atlanta. There’s conversations. I don’t have to go into specifics,” Cora told reporters before the series finale against the Brewers.
“He feels, we talked a few days ago, and he said ‘I feel confident,’ so there’s a chance he’ll play one in Atlanta.”
Campbell, a second baseman for most of his baseball life, has also played outfield for the organization at every level, including the big leagues. Now, with Triston Casas done for the season, Campbell has been working on moving to his left on the infield.
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As evidenced by Campbell putting on the mitt, the Red Sox didn’t really have a backup they felt comfortable rolling with after Casas went down. The Sox have shuffled among a handful of options since then, and there were some external options they might have considered. Rafael Devers also could have been an option, but he quickly and publicly shut down that notion.
Cora, for what it’s worth, didn’t shut down the possibility of Devers playing first at some point, saying conversations are ongoing, but he also made it clear Devers will not play third.
While the transition to first base can be slightly overstated in terms of its relative ease, Campbell is a wonderful athlete who should quickly get acclimated.
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This could also offer some more roster flexibility. With Alex Bregman down with a hamstring injury, Marcelo Mayer will presumably get the bulk of those reps at third base. Where it gets interesting, though, is who plays second base. David Hamilton is the obvious choice, as he has the most experience.
The Red Sox could also experiment with Ceddanne Rafaela at second base. While he has limited experience (14 MLB games) at the position and is a Gold Glove-caliber center fielder, moving him to the dirt would open a path for No. 1 prospect Roman Anthony to finally crack the big league roster.
While that’s not Boston’s best defensive alignment, the offensive issues — three or fewer runs in seven of their last nine games — are becoming impossible to ignore.
Campbell isn’t immune to those struggles himself. He does, however, have four hits over his last four games, and if history is any indication, players like him typically find their groove after some early-career struggles.
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Featured image via Brian Fluharty/Imagn Images
