Going into the offseason, the Boston Red Sox front office has a clear mandate. Find some power for the lineup.
A lack of power ended up being costly down the final stretch of the season. In particular, in the postseason, the Red Sox lost to the New York Yankees in the Wild Card Round once again.
There are a couple of positions that the Red Sox would like to see develop. There’s also some difficult conversations that they need to have internally about veterans. However, there are also a couple of places where the Red Sox need to find much better power production, like DH.
Why Leaning on Triston Casas Makes Sense for the Boston Red Sox
This time of year, fans tend to play GM. They point to free agents to sign, and they point to players to trade for. However, the Red Sox do have a boring move that potentially could make sense at DH. Let Triston Casas get healthy and give the role to him. Patrick McAvoy of Sports Illustrated explained the logic.
“But Casas is someone who when he was healthy, flashed the potential to be that guy for Boston for years to come at first base,” McAvoy wrote. “As a rookie, Casas hit 24 home runs and drove in 65 runs in 132 games played. His 24 homers would’ve tied with Wilyer Abreu for the second-most on the 2026 Red Sox. His 65 RBIs would’ve been fifth on the 2026 Red Sox.”
It’s true, when healthy, Casas’ entire game revolves around his bat. He’s a slow baserunner and a poor defender. With Willson Contreras at first base, he doesn’t need that now, though, he can focus on being a DH.
For his career, Casas has a .241 average, a .348 OBP, a .452 slugging percentage, and an .800 OPS. He also has 45 home runs and 120 RBIs. That includes flashes of success over his rookie season in 2023, even if things haven’t been the same since then.
“It’s important to note that those were Casas’ numbers back in 2023, despite the fact that he was a rookie and struggled out of the gate. From June 19, 2023 through Sep. 14, 2023, Casas slashed .308/.396/.581 with a .977 OPS, 17 home runs and 43 RBIs in 69 games played. When Casas is at his best, that’s the type of player he can be. But injuries have robbed him of that,” McAvoy wrote.
Also worth noting, Casas is a relatively cheap option. He’s projected to make around $1.7 million next year, which is much cheaper than a lot of veteran options. Certainly, he offers more upside than anyone else at that price point. That’s helpful when contracts like Trevor Story, Masataka Yoshida, and Jarren Duran are still on the books.
The Red Sox Can’t Trust Casas to be Healthy
The problem with the Red Sox hoping Triston Casas can be their solution to the struggling offense is obvious. He hasn’t played since May 2, 2025, when he ruptured the patellar tendon in his left knee. That was the major injury in a long series of injuries that make it clear that the Red Sox can’t trust him to be healthy.
Since the start of the 2024 season, Casas has only played in 92 games. That’s over the course of three seasons now. In 2024, it was a fractured rib on a swing that kept him out from late April to August. That was followed up by the patellar tendon. In 2026, while trying to rehab his knee, Casas suffered an intercostal strain and later underwent a left wrist arthroscopy. Neither of those had to do with his knee.
Casas did flash his potential in 2023 with the Red Sox. However, in the world of professional sports, that was a very long time ago now. It would be a hard sell that he’s the best solution for power in the lineup in 2027.
Red Sox Urged to Rely on Triston Casas in 2027 Amid Injury Recovery