Report: Kristian Campbell Won’t Rejoin Red Sox To Start September
The rookie could still return this season
MLB rosters expand by two on Monday, but the Boston Red Sox reportedly have no imminent plans to bring back Kristian Campbell.
The Red Sox are not promoting Campbell as a Sept. 1 call-up, according to MassLive’s Christopher Smith. However, the rookie infielder could still rejoin the majors at some point this month.
Campbell made Boston’s Opening Day roster and signed an eight-year, $60 million contract a week into his MLB career. The top prospect sprinted out of the gate as an American League Rookie of the Year favorite by batting .301/.407/.495 through April.
The 23-year-old then crashed into a proverbial first-year wall, hitting .159/.243/.222 in his next 38 games. Boston demoted Campbell to Triple-A Worcester, where he continued to slump before finding his footing.
Campbell is now batting .265/.382/.412 with the WooSox. He crushed three home runs during a 15-game hitting streak from July 19 to Aug. 6, but has just one hit in his last four games.
While Campbell could give the Red Sox an offensive upgrade at second base, his defensive struggles prompted the organization to try him at first base. Yet there’s no longer an opening for regular playing time at that new position after Boston signed Nathaniel Lowe, who has already tallied 10 hits and seven RBIs in 10 games.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora indicated two weeks ago that a Campbell call-up wasn’t imminent, saying the organization wanted to see more progress at Worcester.
“He’s producing, but there’s still work to do down there,” Cora said.
Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow still didn’t rule out Campbell returning to the Red Sox in September, per WEEI’s Tom Carroll.
“Kristian’s really swung the bat well over the last month-and-a-half or so,” Breslow said on Friday. “I think you can start to see just the confidence and athleticism starting to surface again, which has been great. We have really high expectations for him.”
