The Boston Red Sox have a tough decision looming when outfielder Wilyer Abreu returns from injury.
Boston has called up several rookies this season, including Major League Baseball No. 1 prospect Roman Anthony.
Anthony would seem like the odd man out considering he has replaced Abreu in right field, but Sean McAdam of Masslive.com believes it will be a different rookie who gets the short end of the stick.
“The betting here is the odd man out will be Kristian Campbell,” wrote McAdam. “The Red Sox could simply swap out outfielders and return Roman Anthony to Worcester. But the Red Sox would like to see more of Anthony, even if he’s unlikely to play every day.
“Campbell, meanwhile, could use a re-set. He’s looked lost at the plate for more than a month, and more recently, his play at second has been impacted. His range at the position has him rated in the lowest one percentile.”
Campbell, 22, had a great start to his rookie season but has cooled off drastically since the beginning of May.
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Campbell hit four home runs and drove in 12 runs while slashing .331/.444/.574 in his first 29 games.
Since May 4, Campbell has two home runs and nine RBI while slashing just .182/.278/.271 in 34 games.
Not only has Campbell looked lost at the plate, he also looks lost in the field. Campbell has committed six errors and has minus-12 defensive runs saved.
McAdam went on to say he thinks Ceddanne Rafaela could join the infield to give Anthony more playing time as well as find opportunities for Marcelo Mayer.
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