WORCESTER — Entering last season, the Boston Red Sox’ future looked bright with the “Big Three” of Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer, and Kristian Campbell. Now, there’s a real chance we’ll never see the trio play in a big-league game together.
After soaring through the minor league ranks, Campbell was the first of the three to crack Boston’s roster. He made the Opening Day squad and signed an eight-year, $60 million contract extension just one week later. Two and a half months after that, Campbell was sent back down to Triple-A Worcester. He hasn’t returned to the majors since, and his path back to Boston is anything but clear.
After winning the American League Rookie of the Month award for March/April, Campbell became a liability both at the plate and defensively at second base. Over his last 35 games (130 at-bats), he slashed .154/.236/.215 with two homers and nine RBI. He posted -9 Outs Above Average during his brief MLB stint.
Campbell’s struggles at second prompted the organization to move him to the outfield. He has played 14 games in right field, 11 in left, seven in center, and five as a designated hitter so far this season with the WooSox. He’s taking the switch in stride.
“It’s been good. Defense has been going well in the outfield,” Campbell told NBC Sports Boston. “I’ve been playing all three different positions each and every day, so it’s been a work in progress.
“Offensively, I feel good, too. Just trying to put up good at-bats each and every day, get used to some of the new changes I made, and just keep going on from there.”
While Campbell has shown flashes of his high upside this season in Worcester, he still hasn’t produced the offensive numbers that made him arguably the most exciting prospect in Boston’s pipeline. Through 38 games this season, he has posted a modest .254/.367/.348 slash line with seven doubles, two homers, and 18 RBI. He has 51 strikeouts and 24 walks in 169 plate appearances.
Still, the biggest roadblock on his path back to Boston is his switch to the outfield. The Red Sox have a logjam at the position with Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela, Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu, and Masataka Yoshida each taking up spots.
“It’s not really my problem to worry about, to be honest,” Campbell said of the logjam. “I just worry about what I have to do here to get better each and every day and worry about myself, really. That’s really it. Let everything figure itself out.”
Perhaps Campbell would benefit from a change of scenery. The problem is, it’s unlikely the Red Sox will find a club willing to take on his contract at this point. The Georgia Tech product is essentially in baseball purgatory, and that’s a real disappointment for those who watched Campbell dominate at every minor league level in 2024.
As disappointing as it’s been, there’s still a chance Campbell returns to form. He turns just 24 next month, and he never got a real chance to settle in during his rapid ascension. In hindsight, it was a mistake to promote him after only 40 games in High-A, 56 games in Double-A, and 19 games in Triple-A in 2024.
For what it’s worth, Mayer and Anthony also have yet to live up to their lofty expectations in the majors. Mayer has excelled defensively but underwhelmed at the plate with a .638 OPS through 88 games. Anthony has put up solid numbers when healthy, but he suffered a season-ending oblique injury last year and has missed time because of back and wrist ailments this season.
The shortcomings of Campbell and the “Big Three” serve as a cautionary tale for prospect hype. Fortunately for them, time remains on their side.
