How Red Sox Hope To Get Kristian Campbell On Track This Offseason

Kristian Campbell must work his way back into the Boston Red Sox’s good graces following a messy rookie season.

Although he started the year strong, Campbell slumped mightily at the plate and at second base before Boston demoted him in June. The former prized prospect, who signed an eight-year, $60 million extension in early April, finished the 2025 campaign at Triple-A Worcester.

Red Sox director of player development Brian Abraham revealed the organization’s offseason plan for Campbell, per The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey. The club wants the 23-year-old to get stronger, believing an in-season weight loss negatively affected his swing.

“A big focus for him this offseason, he lost some weight during the year, adding some of that weight back and it’ll be getting back the strength that allowed him to impact the baseball the way he could,” Abraham said. “That allowed him to have the range in both the infield and outfield, and that will be a focus.”

Campbell batted .223/.319/.345 in Boston before getting sent down. While he hit .273.382/.417 with the WooSox, he registered a decreased 84.0-mph average exit velocity and 29.9 percent hard-hit rate.

“It was probably not the exact season he or we would have hoped,” Abraham said. “We saw a guy who had to deal with adversity in terms of making adjustments, in terms of being pitched differently, in terms of struggling a little more than he had planned on, and the Triple-A numbers weren’t exactly what we would have hoped.”

Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow expressed confidence in Campbell’s future after the season concluded. Abraham believes that some added muscle and extra rest can help Campbell turn a new page and help him reach his lofty potential.

“I know the work ethic and consistency and his ability to focus on those areas he needs to improve is not something he takes lightly,” he said. “He is very aware of what he needs to do to be the Kristian Campbell we expect him to be next year and years to come.”