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Insiders Claim Struggling Red Sox Infielder Played Role In Coach Firings originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Boston Red Sox made the difficult decision to part ways with Alex Cora over the weekend, but they also let go of multiple other members of their coaching staff.
Much of the attention has centered on Cora, who led the Red Sox to a World Series title in 2018, but Boston's early-season lack of offense also led to the dismissal of hitting coach Peter Fatse.
As more details continue to emerge on the team's coaching dismissals, it's become clear that there was a disconnect between Fatse and Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, with The Athletic's Chad Jennings, Jen McCaffrey, Patrick Mooney and Ken Rosenthal claiming that Breslow blamed the hitting coach for 23-year-old infielder Kristian Campbell's struggles last season.
"Multiple people also singled out Campbell’s major league struggles as a source of Breslow’s frustration with the hitting department," Jennings, McCaffrey, Mooney and Rosenthal wrote on Wednesday. "Campbell was 22 and among the most highly touted prospects in baseball when -- after a year and a half in the minor leagues, and only 19 games in Triple A -- the Red Sox made him their Opening Day second baseman in 2025, signing him shortly thereafter to an eight-year, $60 million extension. Campbell had struggled in spring training, but internal metrics said he nonetheless would be one of the best hitters on the team.
"Instead, Campbell failed to pull the ball -- a weakness that had been discussed internally -- and had a .664 OPS when the Red Sox optioned him back to the minor leagues in the middle of June. He hasn’t been back to the big leagues since, and there was a sense within the clubhouse that Breslow blamed Fatse for Campbell’s inability to live up to the projections."
The Red Sox clearly believe in Campbell, and though his struggles may have played a role in the team parting ways with Fatse, it was not the only reason. Boston's offense has not lived up to expectations this season, ranking in the bottom-third of the league in nearly every major offensive statistical category, including runs, home runs and batting average.
It will be interesting to see if the Red Sox's offense can get back on track after the team's coaching overhaul.
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