WORCESTER, Mass. — The Boston Red Sox can thank several youthful contributors for their production that has the team on the verge of the playoffs for the first time in four years.
Roman Anthony, Payton Tolle, Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell have all made impacts at various parts of the 2025 season. Campbell last played for Boston in June before the MLB club sent him back down to Triple-A Worcester. The 2023 fourth-rounder had high highs and low lows to start the season when he won American League Rookie of the Month in April before significant struggles through the end of May.
Campbell got hot for Triple-A Worcester with a lengthy hitting streak in mid-July, though that run did not earn him a September call back to the Red Sox (yet). He holds a .795 OPS in 57 Triple-A games this season and Boston still has plenty to figure out to best benefit Campbell’s future, especially after he signed an eight-year extension back in April.
So, what does Campbell need to prove for his next major opportunity?
Worcester manager Chad Tracy believes there’s more than to that conversation for the young Red Sox prospect.
“There’s more to it in than that,” Tracy said Tuesday at Polar Park. “He had a hell of a run. … There’s at-bats in between and keeping the quality of the at-bat good throughout the game. He’s got some outfield incorporated. He’s still going to play some first base. We’ve worked on baserunning, attentiveness on the bases. We’ve worked on a lot.”
“More than anything, I think with Kristian,” Tracy continued. “Where is he going to play right now? He’s young. We’re all aware he got paid the contract. Everybody knows that. Where is he going to play, get reps and continue to get better at a young age. At the moment, he’s doing what he needs to do right here. Does he want to go there? Sure. I didn’t ask him, but I guarantee you he wants to go back to the big leagues. If the organization knows he’s going back to the big leagues to sit there and he’s got the potential for 18 more games here to play, he’s going to play.”
Romy Gonzalez plays the majority of the reps at second base for the Red Sox in recent weeks. It seems that Campbell’s next big impact in Boston will come in 2026, though injuries or roster flexibility anything can always necessitate his return to the roster with a postseason run looming.
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