Boston Red Sox breakout star prospect Kristian Campbell hasn't seen the field with Triple-A Worcester in a week due to a lat injury.
And the 22-year-old infielder might not see the field again this season even with Worcester in a legitimate battle for a playoff spot.
The Red Sox haven't officially shut down Campbell, but they clearly are proceeding with caution with him already proving his terrific worth in his first full professional season. Campbell became a top-five prospect in the farm system after he batted a blistering .330 with 20 home runs and 77 RBIs across three levels this year.
"I think the most important thing for him right now is to go into the offseason fully healthy so he can train this winter," Red Sox farm director Brian Abraham told The Boston Globe's Alex Speier. "I think we need to be smart here. We're going to make sure we're thinking about the longer term and bigger picture versus the shorter term.
"We're going to obviously trust our group and our staff and Kristian to see how he feels and go from there, but I would not be surprised if we end up taking the decision out of his hands and making sure that he's healthy going into the offseason."
After a tremendous season, Campbell is staring at an all-important offseason ahead. It was just last year that Campbell played college baseball for Georgia Tech -- the Red Sox selected him in the fourth round of the 2023 draft -- and it's not out of the realm of possibility that he has a chance to be Boston's everyday second baseman in 2025.
Vaughn Grissom, who the Red Sox acquired in exchange for Chris Sale last offseason, will contend for the spot too after a rough season which saw him play only 23 games in the majors.
And if Campbell hopes to beat out Grissom for the role, starting the offseason healthy would be ideal.
