Kristian Campbell's Emergence Complicating Boston Red Sox Infield Plans, Per Report

Despite committing $120 million to Alex Bregman over the next three seasons, the Boston Red Sox still aren't sure where the two-time All-Star is going to play in the field.

And apparently, top second base prospect Kristian Campbell is to blame.

Bregman won a Gold Glove at third base with the Houston Astros in 2024. Rafael Devers, who is under contract for another nine seasons, has been Boston's third baseman for the past seven years.

The prevailing belief when Bregman signed with the Red Sox was that he would move to second base, with Devers in place at third and Trevor Story – plus, eventually, top prospect Marcelo Mayer – at shortstop. Boston has had a black hole at second base ever since Dustin Pedroia got hurt in 2017, and it would take much for Bregman to beat out David Hamilton, Romy González and Vaughn Grissom.

According to MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo and Sean McAdam, however, there is an "organizational willingness" to give Campbell a clear path towards and Opening Day roster spot.

MLB Pipeline has Campbell ranked as the No. 2 prospect in the Red Sox's farm system and the No. 7 prospect in all of baseball. The 22-year-old has experience at shortstop and in the outfield, but with Story, Mayer, Wilyer Abreu, Ceddanne Rafaela, Jaren Duran and Roman Anthony blocking him at those positions, he has taken on a larger load at second as he has progressed through the minors.

Campbell has hit .327 with a .986 OPS so far in his minor league career, racking up 21 home runs, 36 doubles, five triples, 82 RBIs and 27 stolen bases across 137 games.

Manager Alex Cora added Sunday that he does not want Bregman to move around once he settles on a position, per Cotillo. That suggests that even if Campbell doesn't make the Opening Day roster, his impending promotion alone could be enough to stop the Red Sox from installing Bregman to second.

In order to get Campbell and Bregman in the lineup, Boston might have to move Rafael Devers to designated hitter, opening up third base for Bregman. That would bump Masataka Yoshida to the bench, or shift him back to the outfield after he played just 1.0 defensive inning in 2024.

Alternatively, Bregman could win the second base job and Campbell could move to the outfield full-time. But with Duran, Rafaela and Abreu all coming back and Anthony poised to carve out a role of his own, that wouldn't exactly give Campbell a chance to contribute in an everyday capacity.

Campbell, Anthony and Mayer all joined the Red Sox for spring training camp, which got underway in Fort Myers, Florida, this past week. They each have five weeks to put their talents on display, all while Cora & co. play around with the lineup and defensive alignment.