The Boston Red Sox’s highly-touted core of young players is beginning to experience growing pains.

Entering the season, Boston had a “big three” of second baseman Kristian Campbell, third baseman Marcelo Mayer, and outfielder Roman Anthony on the doorstep of the major leagues. Not only did Campbell make the roster out of spring training, but he was rewarded with an eight-year, $60 million contract extension in early April.

After a fantastic April in which he won the Rookie of the Month Award, Campbell went into an extended tailspin. He’s batting just .159 with an OPS of .465 in 38 games since the start of May. Plus, he ranks last among all position players in the game with -14 defensive runs saved on defense.

On Thursday, the Red Sox decided it was time for a reset. Instead of joining his team for the highly-anticipated matchup with Rafael Devers and the San Francsico Giants, Campbell is reportedly headed to Triple-A.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan was the first to report the news of the Red Sox’s decision, and a corresponding move has not yet been confirmed. It’s likely that Campbell’s roster spot will be taken by outfielder Wilyer Abreu, who has been on the injured list since Jun. 9 with an oblique strain.

David Hamilton will probably see increased playing time at second base in the interim, with Mayer as an option there once Alex Bregman returns from the injured list. Romy González could also figure into the mix.

Baseball is a very, very hard sport, even for the most promising of young players. Mike Trout was once optioned to Triple-A as a rookie, as was Alex Rodriguez. Campbell’s circumstances are different, but he’s still got all the tools to be a star.

This isn’t an issue of the Red Sox’s belief in Campbell. They wouldn’t have given him all that money if they weren’t convinced he’d be worth it and then some. But things had been going too poorly, for too long, to keep working things out at the major league level.

More MLB: Red Sox Get Jarren Duran Prediction From MLB Insider Ahead Of 2025 Trade Deadline