For a little over a week, the Boston Red Sox had all three members of their "Big Three" prospects -- Kristian Campbell, Marcelo Mayer and Roman Anthony -- on the big league roster. Now, they are back to two.
As first reported by ESPN's Jeff Passan Thursday afternoon, the Red Sox are optioning Campbell to Triple-A Worcester. Wilyer Abreu could be activated off the injured list Thursday or Friday in a corresponding move.
The 22-year-old Campbell made the Red Sox out of camp this season and got off to a great start, hitting .301 with a .407 on-base percentage and .902 OPS through the end of April.
The rookie second baseman (and sometimes outfielder) has struggled mightily since then, though. In 38 games since May 1, Campbell is hitting .159 with a .243 on-base percentage and .465 OPS. He has also struggled in the field, making seven errors in 59 games at second base.
The hope, of course, is that Campbell will regain some confidence both at the plate and in the field in Worcester and earn a trip back to Boston sooner than later.
In the meantime, David Hamilton figures to now get the bulk of playing time at second base, unless the Red Sox decide to use Romy Gonzalez or Ceddanne Rafaela more there. Marcelo Mayer could be an option to slide over to second once Alex Bregman returns, too, but that could still be a month away.
Abreu's return creates a bit of a logjam in the outfield if Rafaela stays in center, with Anthony, Jarren Duran and Rob Refsnyder all in the mix as well. One can DH on any given night now that Rafael Devers is gone. Masataka Yoshida could soon return as a DH option as well.