The 2024 season is likely over for top Red Sox prospect Kristian Campbell, who was placed on Triple-A Worcester’s 7-day injured list on Tuesday.
Campbell suffered a left lat strain while running from home to first in the third inning of Worcester’s 7-0 win over the Syracuse Mets at Polar Park last Wednesday. The 22-year-old has not been ruled out entirely in the event that the WooSox advance to the International League playoffs, but the Red Sox will err on the side of caution, according to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.
“I think the most important thing for him right now is to go into the offseason fully healthy so he can train this winter,” Red Sox director of player development Brian Abraham told Speier. “I think we need to be smart here. We’re going to make sure we’re thinking about the longer term and bigger picture versus the shorter term.
“We’re going to obviously trust our group and our staff and Kristian to see how he feels and go from there,” added Abraham, “but I would not be surprised if we end up taking the decision out of his hands and making sure that he’s healthy going into the offseason.”
Campbell, the 132nd overall pick in last year’s draft out of Georgia Tech, was not ranked as one of the Red Sox’ top 30 prospects by Baseball America or MLB Pipeline to begin his first full professional season. After working to add strength and bat speed to better impact the baseball over the winter, the right-handed hitter broke camp with High-A Greenville this spring and batted .306/.418/.558 with eight home runs and 25 RBIs in 40 games (177 plate appearances) before receiving a promotion to Double-A Portland in early June.
Playing alongside The Big Three of Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer, and Kyle Teel in Portland, Campbell slashed .362/.463/.582 with eight home runs and 35 RBIs in 56 games (255 plate appearances) for the Sea Dogs. He was then promoted again to Worcester on August 20 and posted a .286/.412/.486 line with four homers and 17 RBIs in 19 games (85 plate appearances) before being shut down this week.
So, between his three stops at Greenville, Portland, and Worcester, Campbell — nicknamed ‘Barry Bonds’ by his teammates — batted a stout .330/.439/.558 with 32 doubles, three triples, 20 home runs, 77 RBIs, 94 runs scored, 24 stolen bases, 74 walks, and 103 strikeouts in 115 games (517 plate appearances) this season. On the other side of the ball, the versatile 6-foot-3, 191-pounder started at least one game at four different positions. To that end, he was named the Sea Dogs Defensive Player of the Year. With the WooSox, he logged 100 innings at shortstop, 26 innings at third base, 19 innings in center field, and 14 innings at second base.
Campbell, who does not turn 23 until next June, is now regarded by Baseball America as the No. 3 prospect in Boston’s farm system and the No. 24 prospect in the sport. MLB Pipeline has the Georgia native ranked as the Red Sox’ No. 5 prospect and the No. 74 prospect in baseball. Elsewhere, The Athletic’s Keith Law recently tabbed Campbell as his Prospect of the Year.
With the Red Sox already looking ahead to 2025, Campbell has positioned himself as a potential building block for the future alongside the left-handed hitting trio of Anthony, Mayer, and Teel. While that distinction alone may not exclude him from being involved in trade talks in the offseason, it seems as though he could be ready to contribute at the big-league level as early as next summer.
(Picture of Kristian Campbell: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
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