Kristian Campbell will work at first base while with Worcester Red Sox
Kristian Campbell on being sent down to Triple-A, what he'll work on before rejoining Red Sox
Kristian Campbell on being sent down to Triple-A, what he'll work on before rejoining Red Sox
Red Sox rookie Kristian Campbell was sent down to Triple-A Worcester on Friday, and played two games for the WooSox over the weekend. But he will not accompany the team on a six-game road trip, and will instead remain in Worcester to refine his craft.
It's an unorthodox approach for a player who was on Boston's Opening Day roster, but the Red Sox are going a different route in hopes of giving Campbell a bit of a reset after he struggled at the Major League level. Campbell's refinement will include putting in some work at first base, in addition to playing second base and in the outfield in non-game settings.
"That's one thing I'm doing," Campbell said of playing some first base on Friday. "Still taking ground balls at second too. But the main focus is to get some game reps at first base."
He'll work with fielding and hitting coordinators in the minors, and Boston manager Alex Cora said Sunday the tentative plan is to have Campbell rejoin Worcester on the road either Thursday or Friday.
Cora said the goal isn't to see Campbell hit .500 for the WooSox, but to look more comfortable at the plate.
"We'll talk about being aggressive early in counts, recognizing the fastballs, the different types of them. We all know what he struggled with, so it's kind of like a reset and walking through what we want," Cora said Sunday. "But he needs to play. At the end of the day, you gain experience playing nine innings and going through every situations."
Campbell made Boston's Opening Day lineup after an impressive spring and broke into the Majors with a hot March/April. But he's slashed just .134/.184/.171 since the start of May.
He was sent down to Triple-A on Friday, and was the DH for Worcester on Saturday and Sunday. Campbell went 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout on Saturday, then went 2-for-4 with an RBI triple and a double in Sunday's win over the Buffalo Bisons.
Campbell said Friday he didn't have any crazy emotions over his demotion, and his goal -- and focus -- is simple.
"Just have to develop and keep working my craft," he said. "It's the same game, just have to get better every day."
Campbell said he's learned a lot about himself as a player at the Major League level. He's heeding the advice of veteran Alex Bregman, and not getting too high or too low amid his struggles.
"He's been in the game a long time and had his ups and downs too," said Campbell. "He said I'm not the first person and won' t be the last one to have ups and downs as a young player in the Major Leagues."
Campbell clears the air about playing first base
Shortly after the Red Sox traded Rafael Devers last week, a report surfaced that Devers wasn't happy with Campbell after the rookie offered up his services to play first base.
Devers refused to play first for Boston after Triston Casas was lost for the season, and then reportedly got upset when Campbell volunteered to try out the new position. According to a report by Joon Lee of Yahoo Sports, Devers saw Campbell offering to play first "as a slight to his own stature."
Devers and the Red Sox both denied the story, and Campbell jumped on board that train over the weekend.
"That was false," echoed Campbell. "First off, Raffy never came to me and never had a problem with it. We were always cool. He's an extremely great person; a kind person and a great teammate.
"Second, I never went to the Red Sox to play first base. They came to me and asked me because we didn't have [a first baseman] at the time," explained Campbell. "That's when Casas went down, and I said I'd do it because it would make the team better and I was willing to learn the position."
Campbell started to take some grounders and throws at first while with Boston, but the team pulled the plug after just a few days. Now Campbell will put in some work at first in the minor leagues, in hopes he's up to speed -- and out of his slump -- when he rejoins the Red Sox in Boston.
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