The precipitous fall of Kristian Campbell in 2025 is a storyline that has been lost in the fold of all things Red Sox over the past few months.

With the team turning it around mid-season and making their first playoff appearance since 2021, the former April AL Rookie of the Month went from the most popular player in town to a complete afterthought after being sent down to Worcester on June 19.

Campbell’s demotion came 10 days after AL Rookie of the Year finalist Roman Anthony was called up. And less than two months after that call-up, the Red Sox signed Anthony to an eight-year, $130 million deal that will keep him in Boston through the end of the 2034 season.

People forget - Campbell signed a big, long extension earlier that season, too.

Less than a week into his major league career, Campbell and the team agreed on an eight-year deal of his own. He’s set to make a guaranteed $60 million, and could make up to $100 million if options are picked up by the end of the deal.

The Red Sox were being applauded by both fans and media for getting Campbell on such a team-friendly deal. And with good reason.

Through the end of April, the 23-year-old was hitting .313 with a .420 on-base percentage, .515 slugging percentage, 8 doubles, 4 home runs, 12 RBIs, and 18 runs scored in 29 games. He had a 16% walk rate, with an impressive wRC+ of 159.

But by the time Campbell was being sent down to Triple-A, his batting average had dropped all the way to .223. His on-base was .319 and was slugging .345. It was as if the Monstars had gobbled up his hitting abilities. He looked like a different player.

Add in the fact that the team was trying to teach him a different position in first base, and it was just too much on the rookie’s plate to continue playing at a high level.

So when news came down on Thursday that Campbell could possibly be playing winter ball this year, it came as no surprise.

Here’s what Red Sox chief baseball officer told the media out in Las Vegas at this year’s General Manager meeting, via The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier on Bluesky:

“It could be committing to the training that has been really successful for him in the past, and getting bigger and stronger in a familiar environment. It could also be pushing him and challenging him with more game play and developing some of the situational game-awareness elements. That conversation is ongoing. We’re going to loop him into it.”

If I had told you on May 1 that Campbell would be playing winter ball later that year, you would have called me crazy. It’s not something that’s uncommon for young players, but it is for young players who look like they were tracking towards being a Rookie of the Year candidate.

But given how 2025 ended for Campbell in the majors, this feels like the right course of action. He needs to build some confidence against live pitching heading into spring training.

If he can be the guy he was in Worcester, batting .273 with a .382 OBP and a .417 SLG, good for an OPS of .799, it will go a long way towards Campbell being a part of the 2026 Boston Red Sox in a real way.

This team doesn’t need their second baseman to be their best hitter. Hitting somewhere close to .270 with an on-base in the .380s would be more than acceptable given how the rest of the Red Sox roster projects.

…because I’m operating under the assumption that Boston’s front office does what they need to do to add more power to the offense this hot stove season.

If they don’t, they’ll need more of April Campbell back in the mix.

Tom Carroll is a contributor for Roundtable, with boots-on-the-ground coverage of all things Boston sports. He's a senior digital content producer for WEEI.com, and a native of Lincoln, RI.