Will Red Sox Phenom Earn Opening Day Spot? Boston Insider Weighs In

The Red Sox certainly have some exciting talent in the organization right now

Sep 20, 2019; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; A detail view of Boston Red Sox hats and gloves at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-Imagn Images | Kim Klement-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox clearly have a lot of talent in the organization.

Boston's big league roster was able to take a step forward in 2024 and finished the year with an 81-81 record. Injuries played a big role on the campaign and yet the team still was able to be better than it was in 2023. Boston already has added some serious talent this offseason through trades and free agency, including Garrett Crochet and Walker Buehler.

On top of all of this, the Red Sox also have arguably the top farm system in baseball. One thing that makes this even more interesting for Boston is the fact that the team's top three prospects are all near the big leagues right now. Roman Anthony, Marcelo Mayer, and Kristian Campbell all should see time in the big leagues for the first time in 2025 barring injuries and trades.

With Spring Training kicking off this week, it's fair to ask: will any of these three make the Opening Day roster? The Boston Globe's Peter Abraham released a column projecting the team's Opening Day roster and had Campbell earning a spot.

"Infielders (5): 2B Kristian Campbell, 1B Triston Casas, 3B Rafael Devers, 2B-SS David Hamilton, SS Trevor Story," Abraham said. "Here’s where it gets complicated. The Sox have not had a regular second baseman since Story had the job in 2022. Campbell represents a chance to finally fill that void. Campbell has the ability to play other positions, but for the sake of defensive continuity, they need to establish somebody at second base."

Campbell has had a meteoric rise over the last year. In 2024, he spent time with the High-A Greenville Drive, Double-A Portland Sea Dogs, and Triple-A Worcester Red Sox. He finished the season slashing .330/439/.558 with 20 home runs, 77 RBIs, 24 stolen bases, and 32 doubles in just 115 games.

There's been a lot of talk about how the Red Sox need to balance their lineup. Campbell is a righty who can really swing a bat. The opportunity certainly is there. He'll just have to have a strong Spring Training to make this a reality.

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