Red Sox Notes: Kristian Campbell ‘blessed’ for opportunities with team this spring
With Opening Day less than a week away, the Red Sox roster is slowly taking shape. Boston has made some cuts, assigning players to Triple-A Worcester and minor league camp.
Kristian Campbell is still with the Red Sox and fighting for the starting second base job. He’s been the favorite over the last week even with the play from David Hamilton and Marcelo Mayer.
Despite a slow start at the plate, Boston loves Campbell’s offensive upside and defensive versatility at both second base and left field. He wasted no time showing off his abilities in left field during the first inning of the Red Sox’ 2-1 loss to the Twins on Thursday night.
Twins outfielder Byron Buxton ripped a double down the third base line off Red Sox lefty Sean Newcomb. Campbell tracked the ball down to his right and came up firing and threw out Buxton’s bid for a leadoff double.
This was the second time this week where Campbell displayed his athleticism in the field, making strong plays to help him stand out from the others he’s competing with for second base.
On Monday afternoon, the Georgia Tech alum made two big plays in the Sox’ 12-3 loss to the Orioles. He made a diving play to his left on a liner going up the middle in the top of the first inning. The 22-year-old made the diving stop to gun down Livan Soto at first base. One inning later, he showed off his range again with an impressive play to his right side, making a backhanded stop and throwing the runner out at first base.
“He did a good job, made some plays. He’s going to get more reps there. He’ll play tomorrow, too. So it feels like he’s getting comfortable,” Alex Cora said to reporters about Campbell following the game. “He put a good swing [on his double] and then the walk. That was good. But I think defensively, today was the first day I was able to see it.”
Boston clearly has confidence in Campbell and isn’t too worried over his slow start at the plate. This spring, he’s 7-for-40 (.175) with two doubles, six runs, seven walks, 15 strikeouts, and a .517 OPS in 17 games.
As he shot through the Sox’ system last season, Campbell played all over the diamond, seeing time at second base, shortstop, third base, and center field. His versatility is keeping his hopes of landing on the big league roster alive, and as he continues to see MLB-quality pitching, he’ll adjust at the plate.
The Red Sox will travel with Campbell to Monterrey, Mexico, for their two-game series next week. There’s a strong possibility that the Red Sox will not decide on who’ll be their starting second baseman on Opening Day before Grapefruit League play comes to a close this weekend.
With one of the biggest opportunities of his life in front of him, the top prospect isn’t feeling nervous about what lies ahead.
“I’m excited. I’m excited for everything,” Campbell said to MassLive’s Chris Cotillo. “I’m excited for the season to start. I’m excited for everything that’s going to happen. I’m looking forward to it. I’ve just got to stay focused on playing right now, staying healthy, and getting my reps in so I’ll be ready for the season.
“Everybody has to go through it. This is my first time going through it. I don’t really know what to expect. It’s my first time. I’m gonna be excited either way. It’s been a great camp, learning a lot. I’m happy with all the opportunities I’ve been blessed with throughout this whole camp. And I’m really just looking forward to the season, believe it or not. I’m really just taking it one day at a time because I don’t know. I’m not sure what the whole process is gonna look like.”
RED SOX OPTION SABOL; WHAT’S NEXT FOR ZAVALA
It looks like the Red Sox will be going with Carlos Narváez as their backup catcher for Connor Wong this season.
Boston optioned catcher/outfielder Blake Sabol to Triple-A Worcester this week, paving the way for Narváez to win a spot on the Opening Day roster.
Sabol will spend the start of the season with the WooSox and refine his skills behind the plate. Alex Cora said that his catcher improved his blocking and throwing but called him a “work in progress.”
“He needs to catch,” Cora said to reporters on Thursday afternoon.
Cora hasn’t declared who won the backup job; veteran Seby Zavala is still standing in the way of Narváez landing the job. One thing that plays in Narváez’s favor is he’s on the 40-man roster; adding Zavala to the Opening Day roster would require a roster move.
Sabol will join Mark Kolozvary and Nathan Hickey in Worcester. If sent to the minors, Zavala could be part of that catching group. One thing that stands in the way of optioning him to Worcester is the opt-out clause in his contract.
“This is my first spring training where I was a free agent,” Zavala said about his option. “I’ve never gone through a spring where there’s options and stuff like that. So yeah, I don’t know. Just take it one day at a time, and when they tell me what is going on, then decisions could be made or whatever.
“But until that day comes, I’m here,” he added.
If Zavala opts out, the Red Sox could jump into the opt-out market and add another catcher to assign to Worcester.
Boston acquired Sabol from the Giants this offseason for international bonus pool space.
Sabol, 27, is a left-handed hitter who has 121 major league games under his belt over the past two seasons, all with San Francisco. This past season, he went 10-for-32 (.313) while slashing .421/.375/.796 with two doubles, one RBI, five walks, and nine strikeouts in 11 games. He played 100 games in the Giants system in 2024, hitting .245 with 12 homers, 15 doubles, one triple, 58 RBI, 48 walks, and 11 stolen bases.
Sabol has thrown out just 12.7% of base stealers (7-for-55) in the majors so far. He has a 24% caught stealing rate in the minors, according to FanGraphs.
VERDUGO LANDS A JOB
It took until a week before the Major League Baseball season to begin, but former Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo has finally found a new team.
The Braves and Verdugo agreed to a one-year, $1.5 million deal, according to the New York Post’s Jon Heyman. Verdugo will begin the season playing for Atlanta’s Triple-A affiliate.
Verdugo spent the entire offseason without a single MLB offer after a down season with the Yankees last season. He batted .233 with a .647 OPS. The Pirates had reportedly shown interest in Verdugo before they ultimately signed outfielder Tommy Pham.
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