FORT MYERS, Fla. — Kristian Campbell has focused his defensive efforts on the outfield in recent months, and that will remain the case throughout spring training, Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Tuesday.
The 23-year-old will, however, receive additional individualized instruction from infield coach José Flores at second base and third.
Campbell knows second, having played (and struggled) there during most of his time in the majors last season. He has minimal experience — five games, all in the minors — at third, so that is a new wrinkle.
All of the above is in service of Campbell’s actual best position: hitter.
“If we get [his bat] back, we can find at-bats,” Cora said. “That’s his tool, offense.”
Consider Campbell one of the wild cards of Red Sox camp, which officially began Tuesday with the first workout for pitchers and catchers at Fenway South.
Barring injuries to others, he doesn’t have an obvious path to winning a season-opening spot on the roster in the outfield, which is overloaded already, unless it is in a part-time role. The infield, particularly second and third, is more in flux, but the Sox are looking at more defensively capable options as the regulars.
That leaves Campbell in wait-and-see mode, and part of waiting and seeing is being able to play as many positions as possible — a good thing, in Cora’s view, even as the Red Sox try to help him reestablish himself as a hitter.
“He’s going to play mostly outfield, but we cannot forget about the infield part of it, because you never know what can happen,” Cora said. “All his work will be in the outfield. Individual work will be with [Flores] whenever. That’s what we do. And it’s not going to be in a group setting. It’s one-on-one, attention to detail, and see how it looks.”
The other project is seeing if Campbell can hit like he did last April. His offense was, after all, why the Sox gave him an eight-year, $60 million contract several days after his debut.
“That’s the most important thing,” Cora said. “Last year, he made the team because we thought he was going to hit. He hit for a little bit, and then he struggled, and he knows it, and now it’s just a matter of hopefully the adjustments he made and the suggestions that we gave him can translate in between the lines. In the cage, in [batting practice], it looks great. Now, we have to do it in the game.”
Nice to meet you
On his first day with his new team, infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa introduced himself to Ceddanne Rafaela and half-joked that he hopes Rafaela plays only center field this season.
“So he can’t qualify for the utility Gold Glove,” Kiner-Falefa said. “It’s something that I’m going to try to go after.”
Kiner-Falefa, a second cousin twice removed of Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner, was jazzed up about his role after his one-year, $6 million contract with the Red Sox became official. They sold him, he said, on being a backup all over the infield, a job he takes seriously.
“They were very upfront and straightforward and telling me they were still looking to add a bat and I’m still a fit no matter what,” he said, referring to the additional infield acquisition, which turned out to be Caleb Durbin via trade with the Brewers on Monday. “Even if I could play the outfield or put the catchers gear on, the versatility is just going to allow the team and [Cora] to maneuver guys and do things that whatever’s best for the team. So I’m excited to show off the versatility. But I also think it’s my best role.”
Worldly relievers
During the workout, the live batting practice sessions featured a trio of World Baseball Classic-bound relievers: Garrett Whitlock (Team USA), Greg Weissert (Italy), and Jovani Morán (Puerto Rico). “We have to get them ready,” Cora said. “That’s the most important thing. And it’s not for the federations. It’s for our benefit.” … Cora said the Red Sox are not considering using a six-man rotation … Newcomers Durbin, infielder Andruw Monasterio, and catcher/infielder Anthony Seigler are expected in camp Wednesday … In honor of the late Mike Greenwell, Fenway South staff displayed a sign that read “Thank You, MIKE,” along with directions encouraging fans to write their well wishes. They plan to share it with Greenwell’s family on Opening Day. The poster started filling up with messages immediately after gates opened to the public Tuesday morning.
Tim Healey can be reached at timothy.healey@globe.com. Follow him @timbhealey.