The Boston Red Sox suffered another defeat to the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday, falling 4-2 to their AL East rivals in the Rogers Centre series finale. Although the outcome is bad on its own, the Red Sox’s latest loss was made worse by star second baseman/outfielder Kristian Campbell’s surprising absence.
The Red Sox announced they were scratching Campbell just right before Thursday’s matchup due to discomfort in his ribs. Considering how important the 22-year-old stud has been to any early success Boston has seen, fans have, understandably, been concerned if Campbell is set to miss significant time.
Red Sox Injury News: Kristian Campbell ‘Day-to-Day’ With Ribs Injury
Following the Red Sox’s loss to the Blue Jays, manager Alex Cora provided fans with a promising update on Campbell’s situation. Fortunately, it sounds like Boston dodged a bullet.
“(Campbell’s) day to day,” Cora told MLB.com’s Ian Browne. “He felt (rib discomfort) stretching today, so we decided to shut him down.”
“Day to day. He felt it stretching today, so we decided to shut him down.” — Alex Cora, on Kristian Campbell’s sore right rib discomfort.
— Ian Browne (@IanMBrowne) May 2, 2025
Even though Campbell’s late scratch provided fans with a scare, it’s encouraging to know that he isn’t expected to miss a lot of time (if any at all). With how recent the injury is, there’s a good chance the Red Sox will have a more concrete update sometime during this weekend’s series against the Minnesota Twins.
Hopefully, Campbell returns to Cora’s lineup sooner rather than later, though.
The former 2023 fourth-round pick has solidified himself as an everyday big-leaguer with an incredible start to his rookie season. Campbell is slashing .301/.407/.495 through his first 29 outings (103 at-bats), racking up four home runs, 12 RBIs, 19 walks, and a pair of stolen bases along the way. His 1.1 WAR is also third to only Alex Bregman (2.0) and Wilyer Abreu (1.6) as far as the Red Sox are concerned, further illustrating Campbell’s importance to the team.
At the end of the day, Campbell must pick up from where he left off if he wants to continue standing out as one of the top MLB rookies. Speaking of which, the Chattanooga, TN native is slated to head into the weekend tied with Oakland A’s shortstop Jacob Wilson as the FanDuel Sportsbook’s +170 co-favorites to win the 2025 American League Rookie of the Year Award.
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