Roster decisions are coming soon, but the Boston Red Sox may still have some things undecided.
Top prospect Kristian Campbell has struggled so far in spring training, possibly spoiling his chances to win the starting second base job. That complicates things for the Red Sox, who are weighing moving franchise player Rafael Devers from third base to designated hitter to make way for Gold Glover Alex Bregman.
Campbell winning the second base job would have made everything easier; selling Devers on a permanent switch to DH while starting David Hamilton at second base over Bregman would be a tougher gambit. But Campbell hasn’t earned it; he’s 5-for-33 so far in official spring training games.
The Red Sox are hoping to have their position player decisions made by Friday, per manager Alex Cora, so there aren’t many opportunities left for Campbell to impress. But the team has split-squad games on Monday, and the “A” lineup against the Baltimore Orioles still should provide the 22-year-old with some hope.
Not only is Campbell starting at second base, alongside shortstop Trevor Story, but everything else about the lineup looks like it could be the team’s Game 1 look. They haven’t come all that close to a possible Opening Day lineup for any other spring game yet.
Here is the Red Sox’s lineup for the Baltimore contest, posted on the team’s official X (formerly Twitter) account:
1. Jarren Duran, LF
2. Rafael Devers, DH
3. Alex Bregman, 3B
4. Triston Casas, 1B
5. Trevor Story, SS
6. Wilyer Abreu, RF
7. Connor Wong, C
8. Kristian Campbell, 2B
9. Ceddanne Rafaela, CF
Based on everything we’ve heard from Cora this spring, everyone besides Campbell is in the exact position and spot in the batting order they’ll most likely be siloed into once the season begins. How Hamilton performs on Monday, and every day until Friday, could still have some level of impact on the team’s decision.
There’s also no reason for the Red Sox to send Campbell to the minors solely based on bad spring training statistics. Players are working on a lot of different things throughout the spring and it’s such an insignificant sample size in the grand scheme of things that how he looks in his at-bats should be just as important as the numbers.
Every day for a top prospect is a chance to make an impression. Campbell will have more eyeballs on him Monday than is typical for a spring training outing, and it’s up to him to make the day count.
