Kristian Campbell’s versatility has given the Boston Red Sox a good problem to have.
Still, manager Alex Cora told reporters this week he intends to deploy the Swiss Army knife prospect primarily in the outfield at the season’s outset.
Campbell slashed .223/.319/.345 with six home runs, 21 RBIs, 24 runs scored and a minus-0.1 bWAR in 63 games with the Red Sox, while primarily playing second base. He only played nine games in the outfield in the majors in 2025 while starting 54 in the majors at second.
Still, the Red Sox’s crowded outfield is going to be tough to crack if Campbell doesn’t hit, since he spent the final three-plus months in Triple-A Worcester after being demoted in June.
Kristian Campbell Will Primarily Play the Outfield
Campbell is a second baseman/centerfielder, yet the Red Sox have a Gold Glover in center in Ceddanne Rafaela and Jarren Duran in left field, who had a 70 extra-base hits including a major-league high 13 triples for Boston in 2025.
Still, Campbell, who came up primarily as a middle infielder, is likely to primarily play center and left field to maximize his athleticism, per Cora.
“He’s gonna play mostly outfield,” Cora said. “All his work will be in the outfield. … That’s what we’re doing.”
Aside from Rafaela, Duran and Campbell, the Red Sox also have Masataka Yoshida, Duran, 2025 Gold Glover Wilyer Abreu, plus Roman Anthony, who finished third in American League Rookie of the Year voting last year, vying for outfield time.
Anthony could be the Red Sox’s primary DH, based on his elite bat.
Despite a young and ultra-talented group of position players, depth will be key for Boston. That’s why Cora said Campbell will continue to take individual reps with infield coach Jose David Flores and stay ready if he’s needed there.
“We cannot forget about the infield part of it, because you never know what can happen,” Cora said. “Individual work will be with [Flores] whenever.
“It’s not going to be in a group setting. It’s one-on-one, and [we’ll] see how he looks.”
Kristian Campbell Will Need to Hit to Stay in the Majors
The Red Sox made sure to lock in Campbell by inking him to an eight-year, $60 million contract last April — mere days after he played his first big-league game.
Campbell rewarded Boston’s decision by hitting .301 with a .902 OPS through April 30. Yet, Campbell’s offensive output quickly fell off the table, since he slashed .134/.184/.171 in May and hit just two home runs and only four extra base hits over his final 126 at-bats from April 30-June 18.
The good news is Campbell has hit and slugged in the minor leagues, which is why he he earned a 60 grade for both hitting and power by MiLB.com. He had eight home runs and a .799 OPS in Triple-A in 2025, regaining confidence while staying in Worcester for his final 73 games last year.
But he’ll need to prove he can do it fulltime at the major-league level, since Anthony, Duran, Rafaela, Abreu and Marcelo Mayer have all established themselves as major leaguers after breakout 2025 seasons.
Plus, the Red Sox are likely to shift Marcelo Mayer from third base to second to make way for Caleb Durbin, who they acquired this offseason.
So this is a big year for Campbell, since he’ll want to avoid the reputation as a 4-A player. If he doesn’t produce, Campbell could find himself playing elsewhere in 2027.
Red Sox Reveal Position Plan for Kristian Campbell Ahead of Spring Training