The Boston Red Sox front office faced significant backlash from fans and media after allowing beloved shortstop Xander Bogaerts—an instrumental figure in the team’s 2013 and 2018 World Series victories—to depart in free agency. Bogaerts ultimately signed an 11-year, $280 million deal with the San Diego Padres. One local writer, echoing the general frustration of the fan base, claimed the team’s mishandling of the situation would never be forgotten.
However, what went largely unnoticed at the time was that Boston received a compensatory draft pick in return, selecting 21-year-old infielder Kristian Campbell with the 132nd overall pick in the 2023 draft. Under then-chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom, the Red Sox took a chance on Campbell, who had played just one season at Georgia Tech.
Fast forward less than two years, and Campbell has skyrocketed through Boston’s farm system, securing a spot on the major league roster. As reported by Chris Cotillo of MassLive, Campbell made the team following the Red Sox’s Grapefruit League finale, a 9-3 loss to the Minnesota Twins on Sunday. Primarily playing second base in spring training, the now 22-year-old Campbell is positioned to start at the position on Opening Day against the Texas Rangers.
Campbell’s rise has been nothing short of meteoric. Initially ranked 255th in the 2023 draft class by Baseball America, he is now Boston’s No. 2 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, and the No. 7 overall prospect in baseball. After a strong showing in Rookie League and Single-A in 2023, he delivered an outstanding 2024 season, rapidly advancing from Single-A to Double-A and ultimately Triple-A.
Posting a .330 batting average, 20 home runs, and a .997 OPS across all levels in 2024, Campbell was named Minor League Player of the Year by both Baseball America and The Athletic’s Keith Law. His emergence at second base may have given him a leg up over top Red Sox prospects Roman Anthony (No. 2 overall) and Marcelo Mayer (No. 12 overall), despite both producing better spring training stats.
While Campbell struggled in Grapefruit League action, finishing with a .586 OPS in 19 games, Mayer—a 22-year-old shortstop and Boston’s fourth overall pick in 2021—put up a .956 OPS in the same number of games. Meanwhile, Anthony, a 20-year-old outfielder and second-round pick in 2022, posted a .720 OPS across 16 games.
Regardless of his spring struggles, Campbell’s rapid ascent and positional fit have landed him a spot on Boston’s roster—an unexpected but promising outcome for a player once considered an afterthought in the Bogaerts fallout.