Red Sox Rumors: Opening Day Roster Decision Made On Top Prospect

The Boston Red Sox are finalizing their Opening Day roster, which included addressing the placement of top prospect Kristian Campbell.

Campbell, the No. 7 ranked prospect in all of baseball, cracked Boston’s Opening Day roster, per KPRC 2’s Ari Alexander and MassLive’s Chris Cotillo.

The 22-year-old was a favorable candidate to make the cut given Boston’s decision to play Alex Bregman at third base throughout spring training, It opened the door for Campbell at second base.

Offensively, Campbell struggled throughout his 19-game sample size in spring training. He slashed .174/.304/.283 and went 8-for-46 with two doubles, one home run and two RBIs, striking out 17 times. Campbell’s performance caused some to question if manager Alex Cora, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow and the rest of Boston’s brass would feel comfortable starting Campbell. But even despite the spring slump at the plate, Campbell’s spot is with the Red Sox.

There’s no confirmation Campbell will be Cora’s go-to second baseman when the Red Sox open their season Thursday against the Texas Rangers, but that’s the likeliest of spots considering their roster’s makeup.

Campbell soared through the minor league ranks last season, jumping from High-A Greenville to Double-A Portland to Triple-A Worcester. He hit .330/.439/.558 with 20 home runs and 24 steals (in 32 attempts) over 517 combined plate appearances with the Drive, Sea Dogs and WooSox. Campbell ended the season hitting .286 with four homers and 17 RBIs for Worcester, which earned him the honor of being named Baseball America’s Minor League Offensive Player of the Year.

Since Campbell went overlooked with much of the attention drawn toward fellow Red Sox prospects Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony and Kyle Teel — now of the Chicago White Sox — Campbell was left in awe.

“It was definitely more than I expected coming into the season because I’ve never really hit home runs before in the past,” Campbell said before being honored at Fenway Park last September. “I feel like a couple during the season, but if you asked me before the season if I would’ve hit 20 home runs I would’ve been like, ‘No, no way I would’ve done that.’ The work I put in and stuff and the work that the team has for me, I really work on every day (and) it gets me prepared so I’m not really surprised. It’s just all the work that I’ve put it definitely shows for sure.”

Campbell’s power-generating swing and reliable glovework made the 2022 fourth-rounder an intriguing option. The Red Sox haven’t had much stability at second base in recent seasons, relying mostly on a slew of minor-league veterans platooning to keep the ball from rolling in the outfield. It hasn’t worked as Boston ended its most recent season with an American League-leading 115 errors.

The Red Sox alleviated the inherent pressure that follows any prospect upon their promotion to the big leagues, through multiple offseason improvements — in the bullpen, starting rotation, lineup and infield. Therefore, the weight of the world won’t be on Campbell’s shoulders although the expectations for the team as a whole, have increased.

Mayer and Anthony are next as the Red Sox enter their clean slate.