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By Dakota Randall
Contributing Sports Writer
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Kristian Campbell hasn't exactly taken the world by storm during spring training. If anything, the star prospect seemingly has played his way off a spot on the Red Sox's opening day roster.
However, Campbell currently is tracking to open the season as Boston's top second baseman, according to Chris Cotillo and Sean McAdam of MassLive.
"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," Cotillo and McAdam wrote in a piece published Tuesday.
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Cotillo and McAdam added: "The Red Sox, however, won't make their decision based on a few exhibition games. They remain intrigued with Campbell's talent and potential, making him a strong candidate to break camp with the team. Hamilton would still likely be in the mix as a depth option. Vaughn Grissom seems slated for Triple-A Worcester."
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This is a surprising development, although things obviously can change.
Entering Wednesday, Campbell, a consensus top 10 prospect in baseball, had a .158 batting average with a .499 OPS in 38 spring training at-bats. Meanwhile, Hamilton had a .239 average with a .787 OPS in 46 at-bats.
Hamilton also looked more comfortable at second base, where Campbell still is a work in progress. That said, Campbell showed significant improvement at the plate and in the field over the last week.
So, what does this mean for the rest of the infield?
Cotillo and McAdam basically locked in Alex Bregman at third base and Rafael Devers at designated hitter. Devers, who didn't debut until last weekend due to injuries, began spring training by refusing to change positions and only recently changed his stance. The star slugger reportedly has considered requesting a trade, though, so it's fair to wonder whether he'll accept a move off third base.
With trade speculation mounting, Devers won't travel with the Red Sox for their exhibition series in Mexico.
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