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MLB Pipeline’s No. 7 overall prospect, Kristian Campbell, was informed by the Red Sox this weekend that he will make the opening day roster.
Despite being a very promising young player with huge upside, Campbell hit an abysmal .174 this spring while primarily taking reps at second base.
This move suggests the Red Sox may have seen enough of Rafael Devers at third base, as it likely shifts him into a full-time DH role.
In my opinion, this would produce the best defensive infield the Red Sox could make, as Bregman will play his primary position at third.
I find it surprising that the Red Sox are seemingly willing to force Campbell into the big leagues if it means they can get Devers off the field.
Granted, nothing is stopping Campbell from having a Dustin Pedroia-esk development path, where he’s thrown into the deep end but gets better with time and repetition.
However, Devers’ behavior this spring should leave Red Sox fans worried about how he will reconcile with the fact that he will no longer be seen as a position player.
Devers was very public in saying he is the starting third baseman to begin spring training, but he later walked back his statements in a follow-up press conference.
A couple weeks ago, however, Sean McAdams of MassLive confirmed that Devers was debating asking for a trade after the Red Sox signed Bregman.
He also reports, with statements by Devers himself to corroborate, that Raffy has agreed to do whatever is in the team’s best interest.
All I can say is I hope he’s being honest. It has been a while since Boston has been this excited heading into a baseball season, and team drama is the last thing this organization needs.
Now, let’s address the elephant in the room: Masataka Yoshida.
Yoshida has been pretty average during his time so far with the Red Sox.
But after seeing other Japanese players like Ohtani, Yamamoto, and Suzuki all producing at a much better rate, it seems that the Red Sox swung and missed on this one. Especially since Yoshida’s poor defensive play in left field has also forced him into a DH role.
When it comes to choosing between Devers or Yoshida, Devers wins 10 times out of 10 for me.
Yoshida isn’t good enough to demand plate appearances in a loaded lineup, but he definitely isn’t bad enough to be a bench player.
So what do the Red Sox do?
Honestly, they should just cut their losses. Eat Yoshida’s contract and trade him for bullpen depth or a right-handed bench bat.
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