Red Sox Prospect Becoming ‘More Comfortable’ At New Position

The difference between Triple-A and the big leagues can be quite the jump. Not everyone hits the ground running.

Boston Red Sox infielder Kristian Campbell was an exception to that rule. In his first 29 major league games, he hit .301 with four home runs and eight doubles. Then, the wheels fell off.

Pitchers started attacking him inside with fastballs, and he couldn’t handle them. In the following 38 games, he hit .159 with two home runs and two doubles. He also struggled defensively at second base, prompting a demotion to Triple-A Worcester.

While adjusting his swing to allow him to cover the inside part of the plate was certainly part of the reason for the demotion, finding a home defensively was important as well. Campbell has been taking reps at first base after trying both second and the outfield.

He’s been in Worcester for about a month now, and according to Katie Morrison O’Day of MassLive, Woosox stand-in manager Iggy Suarez says Campbell both looks and feels more comfortable at first base.

Campbell still hasn’t recovered his swing, but the process is more important than the results at this point. Undergoing swing changes can be difficult, and the statistics take a back seat to the mechanics themselves, especially in the minor leagues.

If Campbell can reemerge as an option, it would be a big boost for Boston. Abraham Toro and Romy Gonzalez have been playing first base, but Toro is in the midst of a slump. He’s hitting .231 with just two extra-base hits over his last 20 games. He also made a baserunning blunder on Friday to kill a rally with the Red Sox trailing.