Red Sox Lose Kristian Campbell Midgame to Injury in Triple-A

A very, very bad news day for Boston

Worcester’s Kristian Campbell watches his two-run home run in the fifth inning against Lehigh Valley July 29 at Polar Park. | Rick Cinclair/Telegram & Gazette / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

On a day when the Boston Red Sox got blown out and every postgame quote sent the wrong message, there was also a new injury concern.

Kristian Campbell, the Red Sox's erstwhile former top prospect who has spent the entire year in Triple-A despite being on the 40-man roster, left Thursday evening's game between the Worcester Red Sox and Buffalo Bisons.

According to a report from Tommy Cassell of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Campbell's initial diagnosis was side tightness. As of Thursday night, there was no update on whether the 23-year-old would be placed on the injured list.

Campbell's injury update, broken down

Worcester’s Kristian Campbell hits a two-run home run in the fifth inning against Lehigh Valley July 29 at Polar Park. | Rick Cinclair/Telegram & Gazette / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Also according to Cassell, Campbell exited the game after striking out to end the third inning. He was replaced in the lineup by Tyler McDonough.

It hasn't been an ideal season for Campbell in any regard, as he's struggled with many of the same things offensively that hampered him in his first taste of the majors last year. He's not elevating the ball, particularly to the pull side, and he's struggling to catch up to high velocity on the inner half of the plate.

Campbell hit a home run against New York Yankees All-Star Carlos Rodón on May 5. He hasn't left the ballpark ever since, and he wound up hitting .188 with a .297 slugging percentage in May before going 0-for-7 to kick off June.

The Red Sox probably weren't trending toward a Campbell call-up, in other words, no matter how dire the offensive shortage has been at the major league level for most of the season. Still, that option could be off the table for a while if he hits the injured list, and more importantly, his development is on pause.

It's just another day, and another series of catastrophes for the Red Sox, who fell to 26-35 on the season at the major league level and extended their streak to eight straight series at home with a loss or a split. They're 1-8-1 in series outcomes at Fenway Park on the season.

Whether Campbell can make it back to Fenway Park is a pressing question that will have to wait a while to be answered.