Red Sox stock up, stock down: Kristian Campbell hits the rookie wall

Red Sox stock up, stock down: Kristian Campbell hits the rookie wall originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Not much has gone right for the Boston Red Sox since the calendar flipped to May. They’ve gone 10-16 this month to fall to 27-31, 9.5 games behind the first-place New York Yankees in the American League East.

The blame pie can be sliced several ways. The offense has been inconsistent, the rotation has struggled behind ace Garrett Crochet, and the team is 6-15 in one-run games. Several key players are in the middle of brutal month-long slumps.

So, who needs to turn it around for the Red Sox to get back above .500? Which players have been bright spots during the disappointing stretch?

Here’s our updated “Stock Up, Stock Down” with June looming.

Stock Up

Carlos Narvaez, C

The Red Sox acquired Narvaez in an under-the-radar offseason trade with the New York Yankees. The assumption was that he would serve as Connor Wong’s backup throughout the 2025 season, but he already has a firm grip on the starting catcher role amid a shockingly impressive start to the campaign.

In addition to being one of the game’s best defensive backstops, Narvaez has been one of Boston’s most consistent hitters. The 26-year-old rookie entered Thursday slashing .289/.357/.465 with five homers and 17 RBI. He ranks fourth on the team with a 1.8 fWAR, trailing only Alex Bregman, Garrett Crochet, and Rafael Devers.

Rafael Devers, DH

Devers refusing to play first base wasn’t the best look, but it’s easy to look past when he’s in the midst of a career year at the plate.

The three-time All-Star is hitting .287/.409/.523 with 12 homers and an American League-leading 50 RBI. He recorded the first walk-off homer of his career on May 17 against Atlanta and a grand slam on May 23 against Baltimore.

Since starting the season 0-for-19 with 15 strikeouts, Devers has hit .315 with a 1.005 OPS.

The way Devers has raked as the DH, it’s easy to see why the Red Sox have refrained from asking him to move back to third base in the wake of Bregman’s injury.

Jarren Duran, OF

Duran is heating up after a subpar start to the season. The 2024 All-Star Game MVP has hit .377 with two homers and 11 RBI in 13 games since May 16. He leads the majors with six triples.

Duran took his game to another level in June of last year and finished eighth in AL MVP voting. While it’s unfair to expect him to duplicate that success, it’s encouraging that he appears to be on the same trajectory as his All-Star season.

Brennan Bernardino, RHP

Bernardino has been the Red Sox bullpen’s unsung hero. The 33-year-old righty is tied for the MLB lead with 14 appearances in May. In those appearances, he has amassed an 0.75 ERA and 0.91 WHIP over 12 innings. He has been a bright spot throughout Boston’s abysmal stretch.

Stock Down

Kristian Campbell, 2B/OF

It’s been all downhill for Campbell since being named the American League Rookie of the Month for March/April. The 22-year-old is hitting .120 with a .335 OPS through 20 games in May, and he was partly responsible for Boston’s demise in Wednesday’s series finale vs. Milwaukee with a brutal defensive miscue in the 10th inning:

Credit where it’s due: Campbell has willingly taken practice reps at first base despite never playing the position in his professional career. But at this stage, it’s fair to wonder whether the best course of action is to let him figure things out at Triple-A rather than throw him into the fire at a new position during a brutal slump.

Campbell ascended quickly through the minor-league ranks, cracking Boston’s Opening Day roster one year after playing at High-A. The raw talent is undeniable, but he hasn’t looked like a big-league player for the last month.

Trevor Story, SS

Two weeks ago, we stated that the Red Sox couldn’t go on much longer with this version of Trevor Story. It hasn’t gotten any better for the veteran shortstop, so it’s time for the club to seriously consider cutting ties.

Story is slashing .218/.263/.318 in 54 games this season. Since May 6, he’s hitting .132 (10-for-76) with a .369 OPS. His fielding hasn’t made up for those offensive struggles as he’s in the midst of arguably the worst defensive season of his career.

Now that top prospect Marcelo Mayer is in the mix, Story’s days in Boston should be numbered. We’ve reached the tipping point in his disappointing Red Sox tenure.

Connor Wong, C

Wong has never shined behind the plate, but he had some solid offensive stretches as the Red Sox’ starting catcher in 2024. That has not been the case this season.

The 29-year-old, who will forever be remembered as one of the key pieces in the infamous Mookie Betts trade, is hitting .157 with no homers and a .402 OPS in 22 games. It didn’t take long for him to lose the starting catching gig to Narvaez.

While the Red Sox aren’t regretting their offseason deal for Garrett Crochet, they may be kicking themselves for parting ways with top catching prospect Kyle Teel. It’s been a disastrous year for Wong, even by a backup’s standards.

Starting pitchers not named Garrett Crochet

Crochet has lived up to his ace expectations, but who’s the No. 2 in Boston’s rotation? Tanner Houck was placed on the injured list after a nightmare start to the season, Walker Buehler has been up-and-down and also spent time on the IL, Brayan Bello hasn’t looked the part, and Lucas Giolito isn’t anything close to his 2021 self. Hunter Dobbins looked sharp to start his rookie campaign but has come crashing back down to earth over his last few apperances.

The Red Sox rotation was expected to take a significant step forward in 2025. Instead, it has remained one of the club’s biggest weaknesses.