Red Sox’s Kristian Campbell Disputes ‘False’ Rafael Devers Rumor
Kristian Campbell is the latest person within the Boston Red Sox organization to dispute a story that circulated after the Rafael Devers trade.
After the Red Sox sent Devers to the San Francisco Giants, Yahoo Sports’ Joon Lee claimed the star slugger took offense to Campbell “volunteering” to play first base. Devers, who rejected a move from designated hitter to replace Triston Casas, allegedly felt slighted by the rookie’s offer.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora rejected that version of events, clarifying that he asked Campbell about attempting to play first base. The 22-year-old second baseman denied facing any animosity from Devers when speaking to reporters at Triple-A Worcester on Friday.
“Yeah, that was false,” Campbell said, via CBS News Boston. “First off, Raffy never came to me. I never had a problem with it. We were always cool. He’s an extremely great player and an extremely great person. He’s a very kind person and a good teammate.”
Campbell confirmed Cora’s claim that the skipper approached him first about the potential infield move.
“I never went to the Red Sox and said I could play first base. They came to me and asked if I could play first base because we didn’t have one at the time,” Campbell said. “That’s when Casas went down. And I said I would do it ’cause it would make the team better.”
Either way, Campbell is indeed now learning the new position. After struggling offensively and defensively in the majors, the rookie will play some first base with the WooSox.
“I’m still taking some ground balls at second, too, but the main focus down here is to get some game reps at first base,” Campbell explained.
While the defensive transition remains a work in progress, Campbell’s bat quickly came alive in his second minor-league game. Serving as the DH on Sunday, Campbell went 2-for-4 with a double and triple.