'Strong Chance' 22-Year-Old Red Sox Prospect Makes Opening Day Roster, Per Insider

Opening Day roster battles are nearly upon us, and the Boston Red Sox will have many more intriguing names to watch than is typical.

After the past few years have brought a focus on rebuilding the farm system in Boston, the fruits of that labor have nearly ripened. The Red Sox have three consensus Top-25 prospects in all of baseball, and all three could make their major league debuts in 2025.

Between outfielder Roman Anthony, shortstop Marcelo Mayer, and utility man Kristian Campbell, the Red Sox have to feel ecstatic about the future of their lineup. But will any of the three crack the roster to begin the 2025 season?

Insider Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic, reporting from Red Sox Rookie Development Camp, wrote Wednesday morning that Campbell, thanks to the position he plays and the side of the plate he bats from, likely has the best chance of any prospect at cracking the roster out of Spring Training.

"The 22-year-old Campbell, in particular, has a strong chance of making the Opening Day roster given the club’s need for a right-handed bat and their vacancy at second base, one of the two positions he plays along with center field," McCaffrey wrote. "Campbell’s priority is ensuring he does what he can this spring to earn a job through his performance."

Campbell's rise through the Red Sox's system has been meteoric. Drafted with the fourth-round compensational pick in 2023 that the Red Sox got for losing Xander Bogaerts to the San Diego Padres, he ascended through three levels of the minors in 2024, winning several Player of the Year honors in the process.

The main competition Campbell will have for the starting second base job is Vaughn Grissom, who is only two years older than him, and arrived in the trade that sent Chris Sale to the Atlanta Braves last winter. It was a dismal 2024 season for Grissom, who is hoping to rebound after a healthy offseason.

Last season in 115 games, Campbell led all minor-league players with at least 500 plate appearances with a .997 OPS. He's proven he can handle any competition thrown his way to this point, but the big leagues are always a different beast.

The Red Sox hope Campbell can deliver on all his promise and claim a prominent spot in their lineup at some point this season. But will that happen when the season begins, or sometime thereafter?