The Boston Red Sox have an assortment of players competing for a spot on their Opening Day roster in Fort Myers, Florida, currently. One of those guys is first baseman Triston Casas, whose 2025 campaign came to an end early in May after he suffered a torn patellar tendon in his left knee.
As a result of this injury, Casas’ future with Boston is up in the air, especially after the team acquired Willson Contreras in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals over the offseason to come in and play first base for them. What the Sox do with Casas is perhaps the biggest question surrounding the team heading into the new season, and it seems like his status has received a big update as he continues to work his way back to full health.
Triston Casas Not Expected to Be Ready for Start of the 2025 Campaign
After rocketing his way through Boston’s farm system, Casas put together a strong campaign in 2023 at just 23 years old that seemed to solidify him as the team’s first baseman of the future (.263 BA, 24 HR, 65 RBI, .856 OPS). Over the past two seasons, though, Casas has played in just 92 total games, which has destroyed any sort of positive momentum he had working in his favor.
Even when he played last season, Casas struggled, as he hit just .182 with three home runs and 11 RBIs before he suffered his aforementioned injury. Simply put, that isn’t good enough for Casas, or any player in the majors, to maintain a spot in a starting lineup. As a result, it wasn’t particularly surprising to see Contreras get picked up a couple of months ago.
Where that leaves Casas, though, is unknown. His name has popped up in trade rumors, but Boston hasn’t found a new home for him. If he stays in town, he will remain in the majors, but his role with the team would be quite unclear. However, it doesn’t sound like that’s an issue the Red Sox have to deal with immediately, as team insider Chris Cotillo of MassLive recently reported that Casas isn’t expected to be ready for the start of the regular season.
“Where is Casas in his progression? Making good progress, a source said Saturday, but likely not in the mix for Boston’s Opening Day roster,” Cotillo reported. “Casas continues to participate in baseball activities on the back fields at Fenway South but, as was expected, is behind the other healthy position players in camp. Still, that he’s able to do as much as he’s doing — including batting practice and fielding drills at first base — has caught the attention of Red Sox officials.”
What Should the Red Sox Do with Triston Casas?
GettyBoston Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas
The problem with the Red Sox is that it has a couple of guys in similar spots as Casas, which makes building their Opening Day roster a tough task. Casas could be used in a platoon at first base with Contreras, but unless his struggles out of the gate, that seems unlikely. He could be used at designated hitter, but that seems like a spot that will belong to whichever of Boston’s four outfielders doesn’t wind up playing in the field this season.
Beyond that, the team also has Masataka Yoshida at its disposal, and he’s another guy who simply doesn’t have a clean fit on this team right now. It feels like the front office needs to swing another trade or two before the start of the season to balance out the roster, but as of late, all has been quiet on that front. As a result, nobody really knows what will happen when Casas is healthy enough to play, and the Red Sox appear to be punting that decision down the line for now.
Red Sox Get Update on Triston Casas Injury Return Timeline