The Red Sox have had the benefit, throughout this season, of being a deep team when it comes to position players. But lately, that depth is being tested, and it’s led to a pertinent question: Where’s Kristian Campbell?
Boston suffered what Alex Bregman correctly pronounced a “gut-punch” with the oblique injury to Roman Anthony on Tuesday, and it will be almost impossible to replace the talent and energy he has brought to the team over the past couple of months. But with Wilyer Abreu also out because of a stubborn calf injury, the Red Sox’s outfield–once deemed too deep for its own good–is now decidedly thin.
Still, moving Ceddanne Rafaela back to center field, with Jarren Duran in left and some combination of Rob Refsnyder, Nate Eaton and Jhostynxon Garcia in right figures to be the temporary solution. That leaves a hole at second base, which begs the question: Why not re-insert Kristian Campbell, the Opening Day second baseman who was sent back down to Worcester after falling into a terrible slump in May and June?
Red Sox Showing Patience
Campbell has righted himself in Triple A, it seems, batting .272 with a .383 on-base percentage and a .438 slugging mark. He hit a double, a triple and a homer back on Sept. 2, with six RBIs, and is batting .308 with a .909 OPS in his last 13 games.
Campbell can also play the outfield and has been getting significant work at first base.
But veteran Red Sox beat man Sean McAdam, speaking in a MassLive fan Q-and-A, rained on the Campbell parade this week, saying he’s likely staying put. Considering that Campbell was one of the team’s Big Four prospect coming into the season and the only one to make the team out of training camp, that’s a disappointment.
Kristian Campbell Staying in Worcester?
Here’s how McAdam explained it:
“They seem to be staying away from the idea of bringing Kristian Campbell up. I think that’s all about wanting him to get uninterrupted playing time for the next couple of weeks, at Worcester, continue his development, continue to get work at first base. The offensive numbers are better though they’re not as good as they were a few weeks ago.
“… He has taken a little step backwards with the bat the last couple of weeks and from what we can understand from people in the organization, there is still some concern about his defensive aptitude both at first and second.”
The conclusion, then, is that we won’t be seeing Campbell back in Fenway.
“Seems like for the time being, Campbell is staying put. I would not be surprised if Garcia were to come back and be one of the 28 before the end of the season,” McAdam said.
Red Sox Showing Resilience
The Red Sox are remaining upbeat despite the injuries to both Anthony and Campbell. They remain tied with the Yankees atop the AL wild card standings, 4.5 games ahead of the third-place Mariners and 6.0 games ahead of the Rangers, the first team out of the postseason mix.
It’s a team that has handled upheaval this season, with two projected star sluggers–Triston Casas (knee injury) and Rafael Devers (trade)–lost during the year.
“We keep going, just like we did with Casas [after the injury] and how we did after the [Devers] trade,” said Cora. “We keep going. At one point, Roman’s going to be a part of this, so we just have to be patient, keep pitching, keep putting good at-bats, keep playing.”
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