On May 16, Kristian Campbell was spotted by reporters taking first base drills for the first time at Fenway Park.
The young infielder/outfielder since practiced at the corner often, and Red Sox fans awaited his debut amid a revolving door of other options. Nick Sogard, Abraham Toro, and Romy González seemed like less permanent solutions than Campbell had the potential to be.
Campbell was slated to debut at first base on June 1 against the Braves in Atlanta. He and Alex Cora confirmed it multiple times. But when the lineup dropped, Abraham Toro's name appeared in the first base slot.
The Campbell first base experiment phase was a strange one, especially because the Red Sox have been so adamant that frequent position changes can hamper a young player's development. Despite that stance, Boston has moved Campbell between second base and the outfield, even though he hasn't excelled defensively in either role. His defensive performance didn't have anything to do with the sudden change of plans, according to Cora.
Toro has emerged as a reliable option in the Sox's lineup, especially now that they need two corner infielders with both Alex Bregman and Triston Casas on the injured list. Toro is slashing .306/.306/.516 with three homers over 19 games and he's been largely solid on defense, with some errors on his stat sheet, but a few excellent plays make up for them.
Alex Cora confirms Red Sox will no longer attempt to move Kristian Campbell to first base
Toro's performance isn't the only reason the Red Sox canceled Campbell's move. Shifting him over to first base would have opened second base for Marcelo Mayer to be called up to the big leagues, but Bregman's injury unexpectedly opened another infield spot. Romy González was also activated from the IL on June 2, and the Red Sox used him at first base in Casas' stead until his own injury. González has more first base experience than Campbell, who has none, and he's batting .316/.365/.439 in 18 games.
It wasn't surprising to see the Red Sox's attempted Campbell move cut short. The team started working him out at a new position — one of the three he's never played before at any level — during a fierce slump at the plate. Campbell is batting .168/.230/.248 in his last 30 games, and Boston has no business adding more to his plate when he's already struggling.
The Red Sox didn't rule out ever using Campbell at first base, and Cora said he'll continue to take drills at the corner every once in a while in the event they have to put him there in the late innings of a game due to pinch-hitting or running scenarios. Given Campbell's struggles, that should be the extent of his usage at first base, especially since the Red Sox no longer need to make room for Mayer in the infield.