Why rookie Kristian Campbell got demoted by Red Sox

Rookie Kristian Campbell is being demoted by the Boston Red Sox.

Campbell is being sent down to Triple-A Worcester, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported on Thursday. The decision from the Red Sox comes as Campbell has struggled since his hot start.

Campbell, 22, is batting .223 with 29 walks and 72 strikeouts in 67 games this season. He began the season great and was hitting .375 with a 1.188 OPS through the first five games in March. Then after April ended, he was batting .301 with a .902 OPS. However, Campbell has struggled since then. He batted .134 with a .355 OPS in May. So far in June, he has batted .205 with a more respectable .658 OPS.

The Red Sox were so elated over Campbell’s start that they gave him a $60 million contract after just five games to begin his MLB career. The team has several million reasons to make sure Campbell is able to rebound from his current slump.

Campbell has played mostly second base for Boston this season, though he has also seen time in center and left field. During Wednesday’s 3-1 win over the Mariners, Campbell played center field and went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts. He was replaced in center late in the game by Ceddanne Rafaela.