Alex Cora Reveals Timeline for Kristian Campbell to Play First Base for Red Sox

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jon Conahan | Last updated May 18, 2025 4:30 PM ET

The Boston Red Sox have started to work out Kristian Campbell at first base. Whether the higher-ups in the organization believe that Campbell will play first base in the near future remains to be seen, but this was a step in the right direction for the Red Sox, who are looking to improve at the position after Rafael Devers refused to play there.

However, it's good to slow the brakes a little bit. Not only is Campbell facing the pressure of performing at the highest level in a city that wants everybody to perform, but changing positions isn't easy.

A middle infielder for most of his career, Campbell certainly has the capability of moving over to first base, but it isn't as easy as it might sound.

To the average baseball fan, changing positions might not seem like a big thing. However, first and second bases are completely different positions, and the Red Sox don't seem to understand that.

When asked when Campbell could move over to first base, Alex Cora said it could take up to 10 days, 15 days, or two months.

“It can take 10 days, 15 days, a month, two months, but we started the process, and we’re introducing him to first base,” Cora said, per MLB.com

If Campbell were to play first base in two months, that would be a very quick turnaround.

As young as he is, there's a scenario where Campbell could figure this out much quicker than expected. He's an excellent athlete, but there's plenty that goes into playing first base that he likely doesn't know much about.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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