The significance of the Red Sox adding Alex Bregman can’t be overstated.
Signing Bregman gave Boston more than an impactful right-handed bat, a sure-handed glove and veteran leadership. The two-time World Series champion also will provide the Red Sox with a level of security in a crucial campaign for the organization.
Boston’s top three prospects — Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell — all have a chance to make their big league debuts in 2025. Campbell, specifically, was viewed as a potential Opening Day starter for the Red Sox before Bregman’s arrival, and that still could come to pass even with the two-time All-Star in the fold.
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However, a recent observation made by The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey suggested Campbell might need some more time before he’s truly MLB-ready.
“In the field, the Red Sox seem to feel he’s (Bregman) a strong enough overall defender that the back-and-forth work on the backfields won’t be a distraction for him, and it gives them time to see if Kristian Campbell can stick at second base,” McCaffrey wrote in a column published Monday. “It’s been noticeable how much instruction the team has been giving Campbell, including manager Alex Cora, infield coach José Flores, Bregman and Trevor Story. In conversations, it seems as if the biggest areas of focus have been fine-tuning footwork, his pre-pitch setup and how he receives throws.
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“While Campbell’s bat took a major step forward last season, there’s no sense in rushing him to the majors if he’s not quite ready defensively. I think he’ll be a good defender at second, but I’m sure the team wants to avoid putting him in a spot where the game gets too fast for him.”
Campbell not being with the Red Sox right away in the regular season certainly would not be any sort of setback. The 22-year-old already is well ahead of schedule, and as McCaffrey outlined, taking a cautious approach probably would be in the best interest of both Campbell and the Red Sox.
Not to mention, such a scenario likely would keep Rafael Devers at third base, where the three-time All-Star greatly prefers to play. Thus, additional fine-tuning for Campbell could be beneficial to all parties involved.
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