Red Sox Rising Star Prospect Seems To Dodge Injury: 'Something That Scared Him'

You never want to see your future stars leave the game...

Sep 20, 2019; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; A detail view of Boston Red Sox hats and gloves at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-Imagn Images / Kim Klement-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox have enough injuries to be worried about at the major-league level. They don't need any more of their top prospects getting hurt, too.

On Wednesday, the Red Sox learned that left-handed reliever Brennan Bernardino was headed to the injured list, right-handed reliever Liam Hendriks was close to being shut down for the year, and left-handed starter James Paxton had decided to retire.

There were already enough things weighing on the minds of the Red Sox and their fans. Then, at Polar Park in Worcester, one of the Red Sox's highest-flying prospects had an injury scare.

Infield prospect Kristian Campbell, who has flown up top prospect rankings after a dominant 2024 season at the plate, left the Worcester Red Sox's game after a groundout to end the fourth inning. He ran gingerly to first base and clutched at his back on the way to the dugout.

Fortunately, according to Tommy Cassell of the Worcester Telegram and Gazette, Campbell's injury doesn't appear to be too significant. Cassell spoke to Worcester manager Chad Tracy following the game on Wednesday.

"Update on Kristian Campbell: He felt a spasm behind his left shoulder blade while running down the line in the 3rd. Chad Tracy doesn’t know if Campbell will play tomorrow but says “it’s very minor” but doesn’t think it will be a huge deal. 'But it’s something that scared him,'" Cassell wrote on X.

On Thursday morning, Alex Speier of the Boston Globe reported that Campbell's official reason for leaving the game was "left lat soreness," and that he was considered day-to-day.

Campbell, 22, was called up to Triple-A in mid-August after torching both High-A and Double-A competition in his second professional season. He's continued to shine, posting an .898 OPS in his first 19 games with Worcester.

After going unnoticed on all national preseason rankings, Campbell is now a Top-100 prospect in baseball, as ranked by both Baseball America (No. 24) and MLB.com (No. 74).

Hopefully, for the Red Sox's sake, Campbell returns from his absence without any lingering side effects. He's got a legitimate shot to make the big-league roster out of Spring Training next season, and the more healthy at-bats he gets between now and then, the better.

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