Red Sox Urged to Pull Trigger on $60M Star as Yankees Smackdown Sparks New Hope in AL East Race

What started as a march toward October glory spiraled into a bit of a stumble for the Red Sox. But just when it looked like they might fade into the background of the AL East, they delivered a stunning 10–7 smackdown of the mighty Yankees. To turn this spark into fire, though, Boston must do more than just celebrate a win, they need to make uncomfortable decisions.

With top prospects tearing it up in the minors, it may be time to pull the plug on a fading star, the $60 million rookie who’s lost his early shine.

Yes, you guessed it right: Kristian Campbell it is. He hasn’t quite been himself lately. Sure, his impressive offensive force earned him AL Rookie of the Month in April, but his issues at second base all season are no secret.

Luckily, the Red Sox have a clear remedy at hand in the form of 21-year-old rising star from Triple-A Worcester, Roman Anthony. Everyone’s been calling for his promotion from the minors, and after a towering grand slam on Saturday, ignoring him is probably no longer an option.

The argument that Anthony might be the team’s savior is not new, but finding a place for him on the roster was the challenge. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal has the perfect solution for that confusion: “This isn’t complicated. Campbell for Anthony. Improve the offense, improve the defense. The Red Sox’s talent is better than their record shows. But they need to start putting that talent in the right places, once and for all,” he wrote.

According to Rosenthal, Campbell “needs more defensive reps at Triple-A.” This opinion definitely holds weight, especially after Saturday. One was on the big stage at Yankee Stadium, and the other stole headlines from the minors.

Campbell is of the view that “the Red Sox perhaps contributed to his (Campbell’s) downward offensive spiral by working him at a new position, first base.” Well, it’s reasonable to believe that. In Saturday’s game against the Yankees, even though he scored two RBI singles, the lead dropped from 8–3 to 8–5 in the 4th inning, partly due to his defensive slip.

Campbell, who is currently batting .227/.316/.345/.661 with five home runs and 18 RBIs, is ranked the worst second baseman in the league in terms of both Outs Above Average and Defensive Runs Saved. Calls to replace him are understandable at this point. What about Anthony? Well, he’s starting to look every bit like a once-in-a-generation talent with every game he plays.

He’s been making waves in Worcester, batting .290 with 10 home runs and a .916 OPS. And unlike Campbell, he’s a strong defensive presence in every position. On Saturday, while Boston battled the Yankees, Anthony smashed his second grand slam, a 497-foot blast with a 115.6 mph exit velocity.

Like manager Alex Cora said, “he’s not knocking at the door, he’s kicking it”, and now might be the best time to open that door wide. With the team fueling up for a comeback, 9.5 games behind the Yankees and sitting 4th in the AL East at 31–35, the best way to end their position drama is by promoting Anthony as their everyday left fielder.

It’s honestly beyond belief that the team hasn’t called him up yet. Interestingly, the reason they haven’t done so may trace back to the Rafael Devers situation.

MLB Insider Blames Devers Drama for Anthony Delay

Let’s all agree, Roman Anthony is not out of the game because his stat sheet is lacking. The Red Sox’s mismanagement has caused this. Remember the Rafael Devers drama? They made him play as DH to accommodate Alex Bregman, and he refused to play first base when Triston Casas got injured. And he had every right to, he signed on to be the third baseman, not to be shuffled around. According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, it was because Boston mishandled this situation, their crown jewel, Anthony, is still outside.

Featuring on Section 10 podcast, Passan said, “I think the original sin was the miscommunication with Rafael Devers. Where do you find room for Roman Anthony? I mean, do you move Rafaela off of center and then put a lesser outfielder in center field, thus hurting yourself defensively in the process?”

And he’s absolutely right. If Boston had handled Devers’ situation better and not moved him around, he might have been more willing to move to first base when needed.

However, that option is better left unexplored now. Devers has been great as DH, and it’s far more sensible to leave him there than to have him move to a new position mid-season. But now, with options running thin, moving Campbell is definitely something Boston could consider.

As Passan put it, “Every day Roman Anthony’s not in the big leagues, that’s a day he could have won a game for this team.” And winning games is exactly what the Red Sox desperately need now, if they want to flip their season.

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