When Will Kristian Campbell Be Ready To Play First Base? Red Sox Coach Weighs In

BOSTON — Kristian Campbell wasn’t in the Red Sox starting lineup for a second straight game Monday, but that didn’t stop him from trying to get more comfortable with playing a new position.

Campbell took grounders at first base prior to the series opener against the New York Mets at Fenway Park as the Red Sox eye moving the 22-year-old rookie to the corner infield spot.

It wasn’t the first time Campbell went through drills at first base, having recently started the process of learning the position. Campbell is still trying to get a grasp on things, though, and it might be some time until the Red Sox feel like he’s ready to play the position in a game.

“Games, it’s hard to say. There’s just so many different things that come into play during games that you can’t practice that,” said Red Sox bench coach Ramón Vázquez, who was filling in for Alex Cora, prior to facing the New York Mets. “Runners being on base, what are you going to do with the cutoff, ball going up the middle you got to go to first base, but if it’s not caught, you got to do the relay. Those kinds of things. We’ve seen guys that have a lot more experience playing first base — we saw the misplay the other day (Sogard) going after the ball. Especially with guys like that, playing up the middle all the time, you go after balls. That’s your first instinct trying to catch the ball and make a play. It’s almost impossible doing it here. …

“It’s going to be hard. I’m not going to say he’s not going to be ready ever. It’s going to take time. Even when he starts playing, there’s going to be mistakes. It’s going to go to the wrong place at times, and when the time comes, you just have to deal with it.”

Campbell is just 40 games into his big-league career and the Red Sox have leaned on him to play mostly second base while occasionally suiting up in the outfield — 35 of his starts have come at second.

Adding first base to the mix puts another task on Campbell’s plate, but he seems to be handling it well.

“He’s been great,” Vázquez said. “As soon as we introduced him first base, right away he was really into it, wanted to learn a new position, new everything. He’s the same old kid.”

Campbell staying out of the lineup isn’t due to an injury as the Red Sox looked to give him a breather with him struggling mightily at the moment. Campbell is batting 0.085 (4-for-47) in the month of May.

But even with the Red Sox giving Campbell a chance to “clear his mind,” Vázquez was glad to see Campbell still getting in reps at first base.

“Just another day for him to do a lot of work out there, working at first base,” Vázquez said. “A lot of stretching, pretty much doing lunges catching throws and he’s gotten better. Give him an extra day for him to reset, but he’ll be ready to go tomorrow.”