Kristian Campbell’s rise through the Boston Red Sox’s minor-league system is pretty well-documented at this point, but it’s still worth marveling about in hindsight.
Taken with the fourth-round compensation pick the Red Sox got in 2023 for losing Xander Bogaerts to the San Diego Padres, Campbell had a half-decent debut that summer and then showed up in 2024 ready to get busy.
Fast forward a year, and Campbell is the major-league starting second baseman, having climbed three levels of the minors in 2024 to earn a spot on the Opening Day roster. He went from a relative unknown to a consensus top-10 prospect in all of baseball in that time frame.
It’s a big deal for the Red Sox to promote Campbell this quickly. Not only is he stepping into a lineup that expects to compete for a playoff spot, but Boston seemingly bookmarked the spot for him by installing Alex Bregman at third base and moving three-time All-Star Rafael Devers to designated hitter.
On Monday, Campbell spoke for the first time since it was reported he earned the promotion, smiling when recounting the memory of telling his parents the good news over the phone.
“It’s a dream come true for sure,” Campbell said (via NESN on X). “It was really exciting. I had to call my family, call my mom, dad, brother, and sister, let everybody know. But it was cool… They were yelling on the phone. They were super excited for me.”
Though he had a rough spring training, particularly at the start, Campbell’s production in 2024 (.997 OPS in 115 games) likely carried the day when it came to decision time. But ask Campbell, and he’ll say the work behind earning this job went much farther back.
“I look at it as, I’ve been working my whole life for the moment, so it’s not even about the last six or seven weeks, it’s about the last 15 years, in my opinion. So it’s a really big deal for my family. It’s a really big deal coming from Chattanooga, Tennessee, all the way to Boston now.”
On Thursday, Campbell will take the field with the Red Sox in Arlington, Tex. to face the Texas Rangers. He’ll need some time to adjust, but eventually, Boston hopes he can be the explosive right-handed bat they need to become one of the game’s best all-around lineups.
And as Red Sox fans know, there are two other top prospects who will likely begin the season in Triple-A that are coming to join Campbell soon enough.
More MLB: Red Sox Make Opening Day Roster Decision For No. 2 Prospect Kristian Campbell: Report
