The Boston Red Sox made a surprising move on June 19, an off day in the middle of their current West Coast road trip.
The Red Sox have optioned second baseman Kristian Campbell to Triple-A Worcester, according to MLB insider Jeff Passan of ESPN. Campbell has been on the 40-man roster since Opening Day, but he's struggled at the plate and in the field in recent weeks.
There has been some discussion in the Red Sox organization about potentially optioning Campbell to give him a reset after his long offensive slump. The 22-year-old won Rookie of the Month for March and April after slashing .287/.388/.460 with four home runs to begin the season. He's been close to an automatic out in the lineup ever since.
Campbell is slashing .159/.243/.222 since the end of April. His defense hasn't been great, either. He leads the team with seven errors and plenty more miscues, and he ranks in the first percentile among second basemen with negative nine outs above average.
The Red Sox haven't seemed too committed to helping him improve defensively and continue to play him in the outfield every few games, despite his frequent miscues in the infield. Their decision to move him so often is confounding, as Craig Breslow has previously conceded that frequent position changes hindered Ceddanne Rafaela's defensive development last season. Rafaela is a far better defender than Campbell — if frequent position changes affected him, they'll hamper Campbell, as well.
Red Sox option struggling infielder Kristian Campbell to Triple-A Worcester
Kristian Campbell is going back down to the minors pic.twitter.com/LLblQwhlxY
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 19, 2025
Boston's initial decision to add Campbell to the Opening Day roster seemed like a desperation move. Campbell spent just two seasons in the Sox's minor league system and began his 2024 season in High-A. He slashed only .167/.305/.271 with 18 strikeouts over 20 games in spring training, and scouts expressed that his defense didn't look major league-ready. But Boston was hell-bent on making Campbell its starting second baseman, whether he was prepared or not.
The Red Sox signed Campbell to an eight-year, $60 million extension just weeks into his major league tenure, which could be why the decision to option him took so long. Sending a player on a long-term contract down to the minor leagues isn't the best use of funds, but neither is letting him struggle in the big league lineup when he needs a reset.
Boston is off the day of Campbell's demotion, so fans may have to wait to see what its plans for second base will be moving forward. David Hamilton could take over full-time, but his bat isn't great for the lineup, either (.172/.206/.269). Rafaela could also play second base to fit Wilyer Abreu, Jarren Duran and Roman Anthony in the outfield. However, Rafaela's outfield defense is spectacular and he's saved the Red Sox more times than they can count, so that's also a risk.
Hopefully, Campbell can find his 2024 self in Worcester. When he's on, he's a valuable addition to the Red Sox's lineup, and he didn't earn the nickname "Barry Bonds" for nothing.