Red Sox 22-Year-Old Predicted To Crack Opening Day Roster Despite Shaky Spring

Decision time is coming soon...

Feb 27, 2025; Lakeland, Florida, USA; Boston Red Sox second baseman Kristian Campbell (28) rounds third during the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images / Mike Watters-Imagn Images

It's getting awfully close to decision time for the Boston Red Sox.

With 11 days to go before the regular season begins, Boston has much tougher Opening Day roster decisions to make than they have in years past. Not only did the roster improve through free agency and year-to-year player development, but there's a stacked group of top prospects clamoring for playing time.

The top three Red Sox prospects, outfielder Roman Anthony, utility player Kristian Campbell, and shortstop Marcelo Mayer, should all get opportunities to crack the big-league roster this season. But of the three, Campbell entered spring training with the best chance to make his debut from day one.

Campbell has struggled since camp opened, however, going 5-for-33 in official spring training games. Have his struggles dashed his hopes of earning the starting job at second base?

Not so, says Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald. Cerullo projected Campbell as the Opening Day second baseman in his Sunday Red Sox roster projection.

"Last weekend I wrote that Campbell was out of the picture, which was a reasonable conclusion at the time," Cerullo wrote. "Up to that point he hadn’t started any games with the Red Sox’s big league regulars and was getting most of his playing time in left field. But since then Campbell has reemerged as a viable candidate, starting the team’s last three home games at second base, including Saturday for the first time alongside (shortstop Trevor) Story."

"With only about a week left to play before camp breaks, the Red Sox are at the point where the regulars are going to start getting most of the remaining playing time. The recent emphasis on Campbell is notable, especially if he keeps starting alongside Story over the next few days."

Campbell, 22, shot through the minor leagues last season, hitting .330 with a .997 OPS while climbing from High-A all the way to Triple-A. He's considered the number-two prospect in the Red Sox system behind Anthony, but MLB Pipeline still ranks him as the seventh-best prospect in all of Major League Baseball.

There are so many levels of implications to the Campbell roster decision that it's hard to digest them all here. The futures of Rafael Devers, Masataka Yoshida, and a half-dozen others could hinge in part on how Boston chooses to handle Campbell's eventual promotion.

But whether it's on Opening Day or a bit later, the youngster is going to get his shot to impact the season soon enough. If he can shake off his rough spring, he'll be a difference-maker for a team that could really use his right-handed bat.

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