Red Sox Were Wrong To Demote Kristian Campbell, Evidence Suggests

The Boston Red Sox made another questionable roster decision on Thursday.

No, Boston didn’t trade another superstar.

What they did do was demote one of their rising stars to Triple-A Worcester, as revealed by ESPN’s Jeff Passan.

“The Boston Red Sox are sending infielder Kristian Campbell to Triple-A, sources tell ESPN,” Passan posted to X.

“Campbell, who signed an eight-year, $60 million contract this spring, was hitting .301/.407/.495 at the end of April but is .159/.243/.222 since. He'll get a chance to reset in Worcester.”

Campbell has been struggling for sure, but was this really the best decision?

Furthermore, with Alex Cora recently coming out and saying that he believes in the value of Campbell working through his slump at the Major League level, does this move signal a disconnect between Cora and Boston’s front office? It wouldn’t be the first time that such a disconnect has been made apparent.

Additional roster reasons for the Campbell move (beyond his own lack of production) remain unclear. But there’s a solid argument to be made that Boston isn’t doing what’s best for Campbell by sending him down.

Sometimes, young players need to learn to excel at the big league level by facing big league pitching (as alluded to by Cora). What exactly is Campbell going to learn from crushing Triple-A pitchers again, like he did in 2024?

Rookies go through roller-coaster seasons; we’ve all seen it, and Campbell shouldn’t be judged on a different trajectory.

You don’t have to look far back in history to find examples of rookies who struggled early but ended up having magnificent full seasons.

In 2024, Milwaukee Brewers’ Jackson Chourio and San Diego Padres' Jackson Merrill had epic rookie seasons, but they didn’t start out hot. When you compare Campbell’s numbers right now with where Chourio and Merrill were sitting at the same point last season, Boston’s decision looks off.

Campbell right now: .664 OPS, .301 wOBA, 86 wRC+

Chourio (2024 at same point): .581 OPS, .255 wOBA, 66 wRC+

Merrill (2024 at same point): .678 OPS, .297 wOBA, 93 wRC+

Campbell had a sparkling first month in Major League Baseball, showcasing his talent. So he’s struggled recently, and you send him down? It’s a head-scratching decision from Boston’s brass, but it’s been that kind of year.