Why Kristian Campbell Was Scratched From Lineup In Series Finale Vs. Blue Jays

Kristian Campbell got a day off Thursday, but it wasn’t what the Boston Red Sox initially intended for the rookie second baseman.

Campbell was in the original starting lineup for the series finale against the Toronto Blue Jays, but was scratched just over an hour before first pitch due to right rib discomfort.

The Red Sox had Campbell slated to play center field and bat seventh. With Campbell out, Boston moved Jarren Duran from left field to center and put Rob Refsnyder, who was not in the initial starting lineup, in left.

The Red Sox gave Campbell just a few breaks in his first season in the big leagues with the 22-year-old playing in 29 of 32 contests entering Thursday. Campbell had played in 11 of the last 12 games, too.

Campbell’s off to an impressive start to the season. He’s batting .301 with four home runs, 12 RBIs and two stolen bases. He also has walked 19 times to boast a .407 on-base percentage.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora certainly likes what he has seen out of Campbell so far.

“It’s been fun to watch and refreshing,” Cora said on WEEI on Wednesday, as transcribed by MassLive’s Chris Mason. “I think being young and not knowing what’s going on, it actually helps him out. Everything is a first, right? From playing here in Toronto in Canada to playing in Arlington, (Texas) under the roof and playing in Fenway Park. So it’s a lot of new stuff for him.

‘There’s a lot of teaching. A lot of player development. I think as an organization we understand that we have to stay on top of him because experience is not his. He’s only played one full season as a professional player. He didn’t play that much in college. So there’s a lot of new stuff that he’s seeing and he’s reacting to it. But man, it’s amazing.”