Red Sox Star Prospect, 7-Time All-Star Favored In Crucial Roster Battles: Report

With Opening Day rapidly approaching, the Boston Red Sox appear to be zeroing in on some long-awaited roster decisions.

Nothing has officially been announced, but it has been heavily implied for several days now that newcomer Alex Bregman will take over the third base job, moving incumbent Rafael Devers to the regular designated hitter role.

That left the second base job as the most hotly contested position battle among position players, and it seems the Red Sox are prepared to roll the dice with their youth.

On Tuesday, MassLive's Sean McAdam and Chris Cotillo reported that number-two Red Sox prospect Kristian Campbell is now the favorite for the starting job, despite several earlier projections that the more experienced David Hamilton would get the nod after Campbell's slow start to the spring.

"As things stand at present, top prospect Kristian Campbell remains squarely in the mix to win the second base job — despite struggling at the plate so far this spring — and appears to be the favorite, in the mind of the team decision-makers, over David Hamilton, Vaughn Grissom and others," the authors wrote.

Campbell, 22, is now slashing .158/.289/.211 in 45 plate appearances this spring. Those totals don't include the home run he hit Thursday night in the Spring Breakout exhibition game, a laser over the fence in right-center field against Tampa Bay Rays prospect Trevor Harrison.

Meanwhile, McAdam and Cotillo reported that seven-time All-Star Aroldis Chapman is the "in-house favorite" to assume the closer role when the season begins, taking the edge over Liam Hendriks

"Liam Hendriks has seemingly corrected some of his command issues from earlier in camp, but the quality of Chapman’s stuff has been undeniable. Second-year righty Justin Slaten, for now, seems best suited for a high-leverage role."

Chapman, 37, has allowed two earned runs in 5 1/3 innings so far this spring, striking out 10 and walking four. He still regularly touches triple digits with his fastball, but he's certainly going to be one of the wilder throwers the Red Sox have had at closer in recent memory.

If these decisions tell us anything, especially the Campbell move, it's that the 2025 Red Sox aren't playing it safe. They're gunning for the playoffs and beyond, and even if there are some growing pains in the process, they're rolling with the lineup they think has the best chance to get them there from day one.