After Mike Trout's advice, Red Sox's Kristian Campbell makes feelings clear about being demoted to Triple-A

The Boston Red Sox promoted infield prospect Kristian Campbell to the senior team at the start of the 2025 MLB season. However, after a tough stretch of games, the rookie was demoted to Triple-A in June.

Following Campbell's demotion, Los Angeles Angels superstar and three-time MVP Mike Trout shared words of wisdom for the Red Sox rookie. Trout, who was demoted in 2012 at the start of his MLB career, said:

“In the moment, it (stinks),” Trout said. “But you've got to experience what it’s like up here. You know what you need to do to maintain and stay up here. That’s what I look back on for myself. When I got sent down, I was upset, but I knew, OK, now when I get another chance, I know what to expect. I can slow the game down.”

Krisitian Campbell echoed the future Hall of Famer's words in an interview this week. The infield prospect admitted that the grind after being demoted will make him a "better player."

"Part of the process, it's going to make me a better player," Campbell said. "Two years ago I was in college. I don't have anything to be mad at myself about...I can only get better."

Before his tough stretch, Kristian Campbell impressed the front office enough to earn an eight-year, $60 million contract extension just a week after being selected for the Red Sox roster in April.

Mike Trout shared the issue Kristian Campbell should focus on after demotion

While many players find it hard to bounce back after being demoted to the minors, Mike Trout's stellar career is proof that it's a learning curve for young upcoming talents.

Trout shared what Campbell should focus on during his Triple-A stint this term:

“When young guys get up here, they try to do so much. Especially myself. I got out of my approach a lot. Didn’t really trust what got me there. If I try to hit the ball so hard or hit the ball so far every time, I’m going to get myself out. I had to trust what got me there. It was a big learning experience for me.”

With the mentality Kristian Campbell has shown, the highly-touted prospect is likely to make his way back to the majors, especially with the Red Sox's lack of infield depth.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash