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MLB’s X account trolls Sports Hub radio host after Kristian Campbell’s home run
“He just doesn’t look ready for the big leagues, Mike!”
Kristian Campbell made his presence felt in his MLB debut with the Red Sox on Thursday afternoon.
Boston’s blue-chip prospect collected his first big-league hit in the ninth inning against the Texas Rangers, later scoring on Wilyer Abreu’s game-winning, three-run homer in Boston’s 5-2 win.
It was a welcome sight for Campbell, who is just a year removed from opening the 2024 campaign with High-A Greenville in Boston’s farm system.
But even with the talented infielder making an immediate impact on Thursday, longtime Red Sox writer and current 98.5 The Sports Hub radio host Tony Massarotti was candid about Campbell’s debut while speaking on Friday afternoon.
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“Kristian Campbell was not great in this game, either … And I watched it again this morning. He looked scared. He looked nervous,” Massarotti said on Friday’s “Felger & Mazz” show on the station. “So the first ground ball in the second, he just — they say all the time, ‘Get out of your own way. Let your athleticism take over.’ He couldn’t get out of his own way.
“At the end of the game, he was a little better. You want my honest opinion? … He didn’t look ready for the big leagues. He didn’t. Now it was day one. He was clearly nervous. But if you’re asking me — we have a show to do today — he did not look ready for the big leagues. I think they’ve gone a little fast with him. It might change. But I’m telling you, yesterday he looked scared, and I think [Alex] Cora knew it.”
It didn’t take very long for Massarotti’s take to age poorly.
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After going 2-for-4 at the plate on Friday against the Rangers, Campbell slugged the first home run of his big-league career on Saturday at Globe Life Field — driving a pitch 431 feet into Boston’s bullpen during the Red Sox’s eventual 4-3 loss to Texas.
After Campbell left the yard, MLB’s official X account took the opportunity to land a dig against Massarotti.
MLB posted the video of Campbell’s home run along with the caption, “He just doesn’t look ready for the big leagues, Mike!” in a clear reference to Massarotti and his comments from earlier in the week.
Massarotti acknowledged MLB’s clear call-out, reposting the video on his own X account with the eyeballs emoji.
Even with the expected growing pains that will come as Campbell adjusts to big-league competition, he’s been one of Boston’s best players out of the gate this year. After doubling in Sunday’s 3-2 loss to Texas, Campbell is batting .429 on the year with two runs scored, one home run and one RBI.
“He’s feeling better and better,” Cora told reporters of Campbell’s play after Saturday’s game. “He’s on pitches, the walk before that [at bat] was very impressive … he’s feeling good. We’ll keep playing him, move him around, and obviously take care of him when we have to.”
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