The Boston Red Sox have been scrambling to fill first base since Triston Casas suffered a season-ending knee injury and Rafael Devers refused to play the position.
Following Casas’ ruptured left patellar tendon during a May 2 game against the Minnesota Twins, the Red Sox have cycled through three different first basemen: Romy Gonzalez (three games), Abraham Toro (four games) and Nick Sogard (five games).
Now the team may turn to rookie Kristian Campbell as their permanent solution for 2025, despite his lack of experience at the position. In 39 games this season, Campbell has played second base (33 games), center field (four games) and left field (two games), but never first base collegiately or professionally.
“Me and [manager Alex Cora] talked about it,” Campbell told MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo. “Got to learn the position, obviously. It’s gonna take some time. But it’s something I’m willing to do to help the team.
“I’ve never played over there before. Not sure exactly what the plans are. It’s something I definitely have to get used to.”
This development follows controversy surrounding Devers’ refusal to play first base and his criticism of the front office for making the request. During spring training, Devers initially resisted moving off third base for Alex Bregman, but eventually agreed to become the team’s designated hitter.
“I know I’m a ballplayer, but at the same time, they can’t expect me to play every single position out there,” Devers told reporters last week. “In spring training, they talked to me and basically told me to put away my glove, that I wasn’t going to play any other position but DH. So right now, I just feel like it’s not an appropriate decision by them to ask me to play another position.”
In contrast, Campbell has embraced the opportunity to learn a new position.
“I felt pretty comfortable,” Campbell told Cotillo about his first base drills. “They do a really good job of introducing things to me all the time. It’s just another position. I think it’s my last position. I needed to learn all of them. I get to knock it off my bucket list, for sure.
“It definitely helps a lot being on the same side as second base. It’s not completely different. It is a little awkward and looks a little bit different but the more and more I’m over there working on it, the better I’ll get.”
If Campbell transitions to first base, it could create an opening at second base for Marcelo Mayer, the Red Sox’s No. 2 prospect and the eighth-ranked prospect in baseball, according to MLB.com.
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