Red Sox Unexpected Kristian Campbell Decision Explained

The Boston Red Sox got back in the win column on Sunday afternoon against the Atlanta Braves.

It was a great day, overall. The Red Sox desperately needed a series win and turned to ace Garrett Crochet and he got the job done going …

There was still one unexpected decision, though. Earlier in the week, Red Sox manager Alex Cora made it sound as if Kristian Campbell was going to make his first base debut this weekend against Atlanta. There was a buzz about Sunday being the day, but Boston rolled with Abraham Toro instead.

Why was that the case?

MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo shared the answer.

"Campbell has been working out at first base as part of his pregame work for much of the last two weeks and was expected to play there Sunday," Cotillo said. "But with Toro hitting .296 with an .833 OPS in 17 games for Boston, the scuffling Sox wanted to keep his bat in the lineup.

"'The at-bats have been amazing,' manager Alex Cora said. 'Obviously, we’re not scoring a lot of runs. So keeping that bat in the lineup is important for us...Today, it seemed like a good day but Toro is pushing the envelope. He’s putting good at-bats and we need him in the lineup.'"

The decision made a lot of sense. Toro has been red-hot this season for Boston. In 18 games, he has slashed .310/.310/534 with three home runs, five RBIs, and four doubles. He college just one base hit in his first four games of the season, but has slashed .347/.347/.612 over the last 14.