It was anyone's best guess as to what the Boston Red Sox were going to do at second base to start the 2025 regular season. At first, when the team signed Alex Bregman, it felt as if that would be his spot, especially with Rafael Devers adamantly against being a full-time DH.
However, Devers' shoulder problems have limited him to DH duties in spring training, and it became abundantly clear that he'd at the very least start the regular season in that role. Given that fact, Bregman was going to play his natural position of third base, leaving second base open for the taking.
There were seemingly three options for that one spot. Top prospect Kristian Campbell was the presumptive favorite, but he didn't have a great spring training. David Hamilton did, and he was also armed with the most experience of anyone in the competition. Marcelo Mayer out-dueled both of them, but he hasn't even played in Triple-A yet, let alone the big leagues.
The Red Sox could've gone with the veteran of the trio in Hamilton or the best performer in Mayer, but instead went with Campbell as their Opening Day second baseman, sticking to their initial guns. Campbell's insertion into Boston's Opening Day lineup makes it look even more stacked than it already was.
Source: Kristian Campbell has been informed he’s made the #RedSox Opening Day roster. pic.twitter.com/zZjHvdgTOp
— Ari Alexander (@AriA1exander) March 23, 2025
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Red Sox projected Opening Day lineup with Kristian Campbell is flooded with potential
Batting Order | Player | Position |
|---|---|---|
1 | Jarren Duran | LF |
2 | Rafael Devers | DH |
3 | Alex Bregman | 3B |
4 | Triston Casas | 1B |
5 | Trevor Story | SS |
6 | Connor Wong | C |
7 | Wilyer Abreu | RF |
8 | Kristian Campbell | 2B |
9 | Ceddanne Rafaela | CF |
Campbell can conceivably hit as high as sixth in this Opening Day lineup. He's considered one of the best prospects in baseball for a reason, and there's a good chance he'll be hitting in the middle of the order by the end of the season. However, with Campbell not making his MLB debut yet, it wouldn't be shocking to see Alex Cora start him out in the lower third of the order, allowing him to get his feet wet with a bit less pressure.
The rest of this Red Sox lineup is absolutely stacked. It would not be surprising to see each of the first four hitters in this lineup make an appearance in the All-Star Game. Trevor Story offers solid bounce-back potential if he can simply find a way to stay on the field as well - he's had an awesome spring.
Even the bottom of the lineup has a lot of potential. Connor Wong was an above-average hitter last season, especially for a catcher, posting a 110 OPS+. Wilyer Abreu had a 114 OPS+ and could have easily been a Rookie of the Year finalist. Ceddanne Rafaela hit 15 home runs and stole 19 bases in his first full season.
This lineup would be good with or without Campbell, but had the Red Sox rolled with Hamilton, their offensive ceiling would've been substantially lower. There's always some risk that comes with starting someone who hasn't debuted yet, but Campbell should thrive and will be a very fun player for Red Sox fans to watch on Opening Day.