BOSTON — The Red Sox promoted utility man Nick Sogard from Triple-A Worcester to replace injured star Roman Anthony on the active roster Wednesday, choosing him over promising rookie infielder/outfielder Kristian Campbell
Manager Alex Cora was asked directly: Why Sogard over Campbell?
“Why him over others?” Cora replied. “Because he’s versatile. He puts (up) a good at-bat. Today he’s playing second base because Alex (Bregman) is DH’ing and we trust the player.”
Boston placed Anthony on the 10-day injured list with a left oblique strain. The 21-year-old rookie is not setting a timeline for his return but Cora said a 4-to-6 week absence is about typical for this type of injury.
The 27-year-old Sogard was batting .276 with a .393 on-base percentage, .385 slugging percentage, .778 OPS, five homers and 22 doubles in 91 games (409 plate appearances) at Worcester. He entered Wednesday with a .242/.319/.323/.641 line in 18 games with the Red Sox.
The 23-year-old Campbell, meanwhile, made Boston’s 2025 Opening Day roster and signed an eight-year, $60 million extension after only four big league games. He then won AL Rookie of the Month for March/April, posting a .902 OPS in 29 games.
But he batted .154 (20-for-130) in 39 games from April 30-June 18 and the Red Sox demoted him to Worcester on June 20. He hasn’t sniffed the majors since then. And it’s beginning to feel like he won’t play for Boston again this season.
Campbell was one of Boston’s few internal options when rosters expanded from 26 to 28 players on Sept. 1. He actually was the only 40-man roster position player on Worcester’s roster eligible for a Sept. 1 call-up.
Sogard and Jhostynxon Garcia were ineligible for call-ups because they had not met the 10-day minimum requirement on Worcester’s roster since their recent options. Vaughn Grissom was unavailable because he’s on Worcester’s 7-day IL with right foot inflammation, while Abraham Toro (not on the 40-man) also wasn’t eligible after being outrighted to Worcester on Aug. 24.
Instead of promoting Campbell, the Red Sox made a trade Aug. 31 to acquire catcher Ali Sánchez, a .185 career hitter, as their extra roster addition. He went overlooked again Wednesday with Sogard getting the call.
Cora didn’t say much Wednesday when asked what Campbell still needs to work on.
“Just keep playing, man,” Cora said. “He needs to keep playing. We make roster decisions based on what we need here and we felt like Sogie was the one and that’s why he’s here.”
It is important for Campbell to keep playing every day to continue to develop. Defensively, he needs to improve his first step as a second baseman and first baseman.
Offensively, some under-the-hood numbers haven’t stood out. He has a low hard banger percentage and he’s near the bottom of Triple-A in average exit velocity.
He did banger a 109.9 mph triple, 101.9 mph double and 341-foot, 96.2 mph homer Tuesday for Worcester. But the Red Sox need to see more.
He had a strong July (.273/.373/.443/.816) but his slash line dipped to .262/.356/.388/.744 in August.
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