Hours before their league-leading 10th walk-off win on August 15, Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora gave a potentially devastating update on Marcelo Mayer's wrist injury.
Mayer hasn't appeared in a game since July 23 when he was pulled early due to pain in his wrist. He was placed on the injured list the following day with a wrist sprain, and he received a cortisone shot instead of season-ending surgery in hopes of getting back on the field as soon as possible.
Cora reported on August 15 that Mayer took dry swings this week and felt "OK, not great," after his injection. The skipper also said it's unclear if he'll play again this season, which is a devastating prospect for Boston's infield — Ceddanne Rafaela has played a lot of second base in Mayer's stead, but the clear Gold Glove candidate belongs in center field.
Luckily, the Red Sox have an obvious option to step in at second base if Mayer's season is over. Kristian Campbell has been on a tear since July, and he deserves another shot in the big leagues.
Campbell was demoted to Triple-A after struggling at the plate following his American League Rookie of the Month win for March and April. The infielder slashed .301/.407/.495 from the start of the season to April 30, but his production decreased immensely when the league got used to him. Campbell batted .176/.279/.231 in his final 30 games before the Red Sox decided to demote him to work on his swing.
If Marcelo Mayer's season is over, the Red Sox should turn to Kristian Campbell at second base
Campbell “kissed that ball goodbye” pic.twitter.com/gXCy1540Aa
— Worcester Red Sox (@WooSox) August 15, 2025
In August, Campbell is slashing .319/.407/.489 with two doubles and two homers. In July, he broke the WooSox record for the longest hit streak in the organization's history at 15 games. Still, Cora doesn't seem convinced by his turnaround. On August 15, he told Chris Cotillo of MassLive that Campbell still has work to do.
“It’s the same things he struggled here with,” Cora said. “Pitch recognition, covering certain shapes of fastballs. That’s something that’s hard because he’s not gonna get that down there. He’s not. The velo here is harder, it’s faster. Locations are on point here. With all due respect to the players down there, the gap is a big gap."
It's true that Triple-A and the majors hardly compare in terms of difficulty, and his exit velocity has been low while his ground ball rate has been high with the WooSox. But bringing David Hamilton or any other player back before him should not be an option.
Campbell can hit at the big league level, and it showed in his early start in the big leagues. If the Red Sox need someone to fill in for Mayer at second base long-term, Campbell should have another chance to prove himself against major league pitching. If the difference between the show and the minor leagues is as severe as Cora suggests, Campbell isn't going to get better by spending the rest of his season at the lower level.