The Boston Red Sox are sending rookie Kristian Campbell to Triple-A, paving the way for the return of outfielder Wilyer Abreu off the injured list, sources told ESPN on Thursday.
Campbell, the reigning Minor League Player of the Year, signed an eight-year, $60 million contract extension before the beginning of the season and won American League Rookie of the Month in April, hitting .301/.407/.495. Since May, he has struggled offensively, hitting .159/.243/.222, and defensively as the Red Sox’s everyday second baseman.
The reset for Campbell, who turns 23 on June 28, comes in the wake of Boston trading star slugger Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants. The return of Abreu and eventual return of third baseman Alex Bregman from a right quadriceps strain are expected to fortify a lineup that ranks fifth in the major leagues with 358 runs scored.
Campbell rocketed to the big leagues after a 2024 in which he hit .330/.439/.558 with 20 home runs and 77 RBIs over three minor league levels. Boston entered spring training hopeful he would earn the second base job, and despite hitting .167/.305/.271, the Red Sox were confident enough in Campbell’s ability to succeed that they locked him up to a deal that with two club options can run through 2034.
With a unique stance, Campbell managed to produce top-end exit velocities, and the Red Sox banked on that ability to make up for his lack of minor league at-bats. A fourth-round pick out of Georgia Tech in 2023, the 6-foot-3, 210-pound Campbell responded with four multihit games among his first seven in the big leagues and finished April with four home runs and 12 RBIs.
May and June have proven far more difficult, with just four multihit games among the 38 he has played. Campbell spent the first eight days of May in the cleanup spot but has been dropped to the bottom of the order in June. In his last big league game Wednesday, he batted eighth and played center field.
Abreu, who turns 26 on Tuesday, is expected to rejoin the Red Sox 10 days after hitting the injured list with a strained oblique. He went 1 for 4 in a rehabilitation appearance with Triple-A Worcester on Tuesday and would head to San Francisco for the Red Sox’s series against the Giants that begins Friday.
In his third big league season, Abreu is hitting .245/.321/.471 with 13 home runs, just two shy of his career best in 2024. He joins a crowded outfield, with Gold Glove candidate Ceddanne Rafaela — who can also play in the middle infield — in center, All-Star Jarren Duran in left and top prospect Roman Anthony in right. Anthony is currently hitting third, the spot Abreu regularly occupied before his injury.
DETROIT — Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Dennis Santana was involved in an altercation with a fan he said “crossed the line” during the second game of Thursday’s doubleheader with the Detroit Tigers, and at one point, he was seen leaping and swiping at the person.
“You guys know me — I’m a calm demeanor type of person,” Santana said after the game through an interpreter. “I’ve never had any issues for any of the teams I’ve played for. This guy crossed the line a few times.”
Santana declined to disclose what the fan said.
“He crossed the line, and I’d like to leave it at that. I’ve never had anything like this happen in my eight years in baseball,” he said.
In videos posted to social media, Santana can be seen pointing out the fan to a police officer before jumping and swinging at the person, who is in the front row above the Pittsburgh bullpen at Comerica Park.
Santana did not complain about how security officers handled the situation.
“My job is as a pitcher, not as security, so I can’t discuss their job,” he said. “I respect them and what they do.”
The fan appeared to be wearing a Tigers hat and a shirt honoring Pirates Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente.
After jumping at the fan, Santana was escorted away by Pirates bullpen personnel and held back by a teammate.
Santana entered the game in the ninth inning, pitching to one batter before the game was delayed by rain. The Pirates won 8-4.
Santana said he discussed the incident with Pirates manager Don Kelly.
“He knows I regret what I did,” Santana said. “You know I’m a professional.”
TAMPA, Fla. — Rays pitcher Hunter Bigge was carted off the field in a frightening scene and taken to a hospital after getting struck in the side of his face by a foul ball lined into the Tampa Bay dugout Thursday night.
Bigge was placed on a backboard and gave a thumb-up before being driven by ambulance to a nearby hospital for tests. He never lost consciousness and was able to converse with first responders, Rays manager Kevin Cash said.
In the top of the seventh inning, Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman sharply pulled a pitch into the Tampa Bay dugout on the first-base side, and the ball hit Bigge, a 27-year-old right-hander currently on the 15-day injured list with a lat strain.
Emergency medical personnel quickly arrived to attend to Bigge. After several quiet minutes, as visibly concerned Rays players knelt in the field, Bigge was loaded onto a stretcher and carted off. He received a standing ovation from the Steinbrenner Field crowd.
The ball left Rutschman’s bat at 105 mph, according to Statcast.
The game resumed after an eight-minute delay, and Baltimore held on for a 4-1 victory.
Bigge was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the 12th round of the 2019 amateur draft from Harvard and made his major league debut for them on July 9 last year. He was traded 19 days later to Tampa Bay along with Christopher Morel and minor leaguer Ty Johnson for All-Star third baseman Isaac Paredes.
In 32 career appearances, including one start, Bigge has a 2.51 ERA and one save. This season, he has a 2.40 ERA in 13 relief outings covering 15 innings.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
ESPN baseball reporter. Covered the L.A. Rams for ESPN from 2016 to 2018 and the L.A. Angels for MLB.com from 2012 to 2016.
LOS ANGELES — Federal agents with the United States Department of Homeland Security set up outside Dodger Stadium on Thursday morning, sparking outrage on social media and triggering more protests against immigration enforcement in the city.
The Los Angeles Dodgers, who said they denied the federal agents access to the stadium’s parking lot, subsequently postponed plans to unveil initiatives to assist local immigrant communities.
“Because of the events earlier today, we continue to work with groups that were involved with our programs,” Dodgers president Stan Kasten said. “But we are going to have to delay today’s announcement while we firm up some more details. We’ll get back to you soon with the timing.”
A caravan of white, unmarked vans and SUVs arrived at the Gate A entrance of Dodger Stadium, off Vin Scully Avenue, at around 8 a.m., with agents saying they had detainees to process, according to local media reports and firsthand accounts.
The security guard on hand told the agents that they were not allowed on private property, prompting federal officials to circle outside to Gate E, the downtown-facing entrance to the ballpark’s parking lot where dozens of protesters gathered.
The Los Angeles Police Department later arrived on the scene, and everyone was dispersed by around noon PT.
The Dodgers initially posted on their X account that the federal officials were with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The federal agency, however, refuted its presence at Dodger Stadium through its X account.
“False,” U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement posted. “We were never there.”
The Department of Homeland Security said the agents were with the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), which attempted to access the stadium.
“This has nothing to do with the Dodgers,” DHS posted to X. “CBP vehicles were in the parking lot very briefly, unrelated to any operation or enforcement.”
ICE and CBP are both federal agencies under the Department of Homeland Security.
Protests against ICE raids in Los Angeles began earlier this month after federal agents arrested dozens of workers in the city. Protesters blocked a major freeway and set cars on fire in the following days, prompting police to respond with tear gas, rubber bullets and flash-bang grenades.
In the wake of those protests, and a decision by President Donald Trump’s administration to activate more than 4,000 National Guard members and 700 active-duty Marines over the objection of city and state leaders, the Dodgers were criticized for not making any public statements in support of immigrants.
The team solidified plans to work with immigration groups earlier this week and was planning to unveil them Thursday, until the presence of federal agents further inflamed the situation.
Despite the protests, immigration-enforcement activity has continued throughout Los Angeles, with city leaders and community groups reporting ICE presence at libraries, car washes and home improvement stores. School graduations in the city have increased security over fears of ICE action, with some schools offering parents the option to watch via live streams.