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As Red Sox send Kristian Campbell to minors, Alex Cora has blunt message for him on future
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- As Red Sox send Kristian Campbell to minors, Alex Cora has blunt message for him on future
FORT MYERS, Fla. — As the Red Sox gathered for their initial morning meeting on the final Saturday of spring training, Kristian Campbell walked out to the parking lot at JetBlue Park and went home. He had just been informed he had been optioned to minor league camp and was therefore given the day off.
It was the expected outcome for Campbell, who just one year after making his major league debut as the Red Sox ' Opening Day second baseman always seemed to be a long shot to break camp with the team. Boston 's outfield is already overcrowded and Campbell didn't take infield reps all spring, limiting his path to a roster spot. He'll begin the season in Worcester, where he spent the final 3 ½ months of 2025 after a prolonged slump in May and June led to his demotion.
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The Red Sox have not given up on Campbell, who is just 23 and in the second year of an eight-year, $60 million contract. But after a rough spring training in which he hit just .220 with one homer, four RBIs, 11 strikeouts and a .646 OPS in 46 plate appearances, it's clear there's work left to be done.
"'You've got to get back to the big leagues. You've got to play better,'" Cora said of his message to Campbell. "There's a few things he did in camp, and (some) he didn't do in camp. In camp, he didn't walk as often and he struck out a lot. That's not him. We just have to keep working together. But at the end, he said it: 'It's up to me to get back here.'"
After struggling on both sides of the ball in Worcester while bouncing around from position-to-position, Campbell entered 2026 with a more streamlined development plan. Defensively, he'd focus on outfield work in all three spots. He re-worked his swing and bulked up . There were signs of optimism early in camp but in games, the Red Sox were surprised to see Campbell walk just twice while swinging and missing at a high rate.
"We have to get the offense going," Cora said. "There were some things we felt comfortable with during camp. I'm not concerned, but the strikeouts were going up and the walks going down, and that's not him. He's a guy who controls the strike zone and doesn't swing and miss. That didn't happen during camp."
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In exhibition play, Campbell played 82 innings in center field and just one inning in left. The expectation is that he will play a similar role for the WooSox once their season starts next week .
"We will help him. He's gonna get his at-bats," Cora said. "He's gonna play the majority of his games in the outfield."
Though at-bats are scarce, the Red Sox anticipate a point during the season at which Campbell will help them in the big leagues. Until then, it'll be about getting back on track and forcing his name into the conversation again.
"He'll be fine, but you've got to go down there and show the people you're the best athlete on the team and the best player on the team," Cora said.
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