Kristian Campbell’s outlook sure has changed in a year’s time.

Last December, Campbell was coming off multiple player and prospect of the year awards, and we were wondering if he’d crack the Boston Red Sox’s opening day roster despite only playing six weeks in Triple-A. This year, we’re wondering if he’ll head back to Triple-A after a rough 2 1/2 months to open his major league career.

It’s a crucial season incoming for Campbell, who received an eight-year, $60 million extension just a few days into his rookie year. He’ll need to prove he has a defensive position and that he can handle elite velocity, especially on the inner half of the plate.

The Red Sox have a plan for Campbell’s offseason development, and it’s not one that comes without risk.

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Late last week, Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reported that Campbell would soon be headed to play winter ball in Puerto Rico, citing “multiple major league sources.”

This tracks with manager Alex Cora’s statement on the Nov. 21 episode of the “Section 10” Podcast that the Red Sox had just about made up their minds that he would play on bench Coach Ramón Vázquez’s team in the Puerto Rican Winter League.

“There’s a good chance he’ll be here (in Puerto Rico) in two weeks playing for Ramón Vázquez and the Criollos de Caguas in winter ball,” Cora said, per “Section 10” host Tyler Milliken.

As it turns out, playing for Vázquez won’t be the only close Red Sox connection available to Campbell in the event he dons a Criollos uniform soon.

“Sox manager Alex Cora lives in Caguas as well, and Jésus Feliciano — the brother of Cora’s partner, Angelica Feliciano — is the GM of the Criollos,” wrote Speier.

Playing in such a controlled environment is good in a sense that the Red Sox will be able to make sure they’re not pushing Campbell too hard. And that’s good, because as much as his game could use the sharpening, playing extra games in December and January can come at a cost in September and October.

Campbell has never played more than the 130 games he experienced between the minors and majors this year, and if all goes according to plan, he’ll have something close to an everyday role in Boston this year.

It’s a risk worth taking, though, as the Red Sox need Campbell to keep developing his in-game instincts and tinkering with his approach to inside fastballs.

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