Kristian Campbell returns to Worcester for a reset at the plate, learn how to play first base
'We just talked about controlling the environment,' relayed Campbell. 'When the game speeds up on you, kind of having my own whistle like a basketball game, being able to control what's going on, call timeout when I need to, take a deep breath when I need to.'
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With Campbell hitting .223/.319/.345 and struggling defensively, the Sox called timeout. After the series against the Mariners in Seattle, Campbell was optioned to Triple A Worcester. He joined the WooSox on Friday, spending time working in the cage and taking part in defensive drills at first base — a position where he's expected to start getting game exposure next week.
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Campbell accepted the assignment without dismay. Though he cracked the Opening Day big league roster and
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'I got drafted in '23. This has been fast in general,' said Campbell. 'A lot of players who are playing Major League Baseball at a super-high level right now went through the same thing when they first debuted. It's nothing new. It's just a learning moment. All I can do is continue getting better, work on my craft, and be ready whenever they want me back. . . . This is just a bump in the road.'
Campbell has a checklist of to-do items in Triple A. The Sox want the 2024 Minor League Player of the Year to get back to hitting the ball hard in the air rather than getting tied up by fastballs on the inner third of the plate and hitting everything on the ground.
'A big part of his training will be focused on being on time,' said Red Sox director of hitting Jason Ochart. 'His point of contact has dropped back, and it's just hard to be successful when you're hitting the ball really deep.'
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Campbell will also get game exposure at first base.
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'The main [defensive] priority, I think, is going to be
The Red Sox optioned Kristian Campbell to Worcester on Friday.
Alex Speier
But most importantly, the Sox want to allow Campbell to use the whistle — to call timeout, to apply the lessons he'd gotten in the big leagues while working in a minor league training environment where it's easier to make adjustments. Both Campbell and WooSox manager Chad Tracy suggested a need for him to be an athlete, to think about intent — hitting the ball hard in the air — rather than getting lost in thoughts about how to cover the way pitchers are attacking him.
'Broader picture of him being here, there's a little less pressure. . . . I told him today, 'I want you to go out there and play the game with no fear,' ' said Tracy. 'Yes, we have to capitalize on anything we see fundamentally at first base we can help with. But I also want the athlete to come out and just relax and play the game, because when he does, we've seen it, it's pretty special.'
The Sox believe Campbell's potential remains elite. When manager Alex Cora and assistant GM Paul Toboni informed Campbell he was being sent down, they reminded him that
With that in mind, Campbell viewed the return to the minors not as discouraging but as an opportunity to reassert himself.
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'I had a really good first month in Major League Baseball,' said Campbell. 'I'm just trying to take in a breath and get back refocused on what I need to get better at, sharpening up some of my skills, keep developing and I'll be ready to go again soon.'
Alex Speier can be reached at
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