How Red Sox’s Kristian Campbell Has Handled ‘Redshirting’ In Triple-A

Kristian Campbell’s ascension has taken a prolonged detour back to the minor leagues.

Campbell began the 2025 season in Boston, but he appears poised to finish it with Triple-A Worcester. The Red Sox demoted the second baseman in June amid offensive and defensive struggles, and they’ve resisted bringing the 23-year-old back into the fold as a September call-up.

Reflecting on his year to MassLive’s Chris Cotillo, Campbell noted that he hadn’t faced much professional adversity on his path to Boston. He compared the situation to one he experienced at Georgia Tech in 2022.

“I’m still proud of myself with the way I handled everything this year. It’s been a minute (since I’ve struggled),” Campbell said. “The last time was probably college, when I got redshirted my freshman year. That counted for me. I kind of feel the same way as that. Redshirting again, to be honest.”

Campbell learned that other MLB stars faced similar setbacks to start their careers.

“There’s a lot more people that go through this than I actually realized when it first happened, because I didn’t know,” Campbell added. “You only hear about the great parts of people’s careers. You never realize what they went through when they were younger. I never knew Mike Trout got optioned. I wouldn’t have believed you if you told me that.”

Campbell has played multiple positions for the WooSox in an attempt to find his best spot. WooSox manager Chad Tracy told Cotillo that Campbell could become an “invaluable” utility player.

Although he’s yet to consistently rediscover his power since the demotion, Campbell is batting .273/.382/.417 in 73 games. He’s focused on his process to maintain a steady approach at the plate.

“Really just going up there with an approach and sticking to my approach throughout the whole at-bat,” he said. “Just trying to keep as simple as possible when I go up there and not do too much. I think that can also get to you a little bit when you get up there in Boston, trying to do too much sometimes.”

Campbell showed immense upside by batting .301/.407/.495 for the Red Sox through April, but he’s now fighting his way back into Boston’s 2026 plans. He acknowledged that the path to success isn’t always straightforward without any hiccups.

“Getting better, sadly, isn’t always linear,” Campbell said. “Sometimes you’ve gotta go down to get back up. That’s just what it is sometimes.”