Red Sox's Latest Kristian Campbell Decision Is Bad Look For Cora, Breslow

It's been an awful week so far for the Boston Red Sox, and their decision throughout the week have been extremely perplexing.

As the Red Sox attempt to escape a stretch of six losses in seven games, they've been searching for answers in the lineup. They've tried a new cleanup hitter every day, shuffled the bullpen too many times to count, and made some questionable substitutions.

Still, Boston's bewildering treatment of Kristian Campbell stands out. The 22-year-old has been in a brutal slump since the start of May, yet he seemingly has a new spot in the lineup every day--all while trying to learn a new position.

Earlier this week, the Red Sox strongly hinted, if not outright declared, that Campbell would make his debut at first base against the Atlanta Braves. But when the Sunday lineup card came out, Campbell was still in his usual spot at second.

It was a surprising development, considering Alex Cora repeatedly saying Campbell was likely to play first throughout the week. And it reflects poorly on Cora's and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow's foresight.

"There's a good chance he's going to play Sunday at first base,” Cora said earlier this week on WEEI. “You know, he looks - in practice, obviously - he looks more comfortable going to his right, to his left. We've been talking about decision making. And as you guys know, it's not that easy, right?"

Everything the Red Sox have done with Campbell and fellow rookie Marcelo Mayer has flown directly in the face of Cora's pledge during spring training that the first-year players wouldn't be expected to carry the squad--or perhaps more accurately, that the Red Sox would be doomed if that's what they were expecting.

At 28-32, it's starting to feel like a pretty doomy season. And at this point, we just have to be concerned about the long-term effects all of these wishy-washy decisions might have on Campbell's and Mayer's development.

Pick a spot in the lineup for the kids, pick a position, and let them develop. Maybe the wins will start to come, maybe they won't, but whatever Boston has been trying isn't working.