Two years ago, Triston Casas hit 24 home runs and finished third in American League Rookie of the Year voting, and it looked like the Boston Red Sox had found their first baseman for years to come.
They’ve entered the subsequent two offseasons with a question mark hanging over the position.
“It’s no secret that Triston has tremendous potential,” chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said Monday, during a videoconference to discuss the club’s acquisition of Willson Contreras, “but (he) also hasn’t been able to stay on the field the last couple of years, thanks to really unfortunate but significant injuries.”
Casas has missed 232 of 324 games over the last two seasons. In ’24 he missed over two months with a ‘freak’ rib cartilage injury during an April at-bat. His ’25 campaign came to a painfully premature end on May 2, when he ruptured the patellar tendon in his right knee running down the first base line. As his rehab progressed later in the season, he expressed optimism about being ready for Opening Day.
Ready or not, the roster might be full.
Sunday’s trade for Contreras, the veteran catcher-turned-first-baseman from the St. Louis Cardinals, makes Casas’ path forward murkier and even more crowded. Breslow acknowledged as much on Monday, when he revealed that he and Casas spoke on the phone earlier that day.
“I had a chance to talk to Triston this morning, and what I told him is exactly what I’ll share with all of you, which is we still have a ton of confidence and believe in Triston,” said Breslow. “And what he needs to do is commit to doing everything possible to get back on the field. He’s doing that right now, and feels really good with the progress.
“There’s going to be an opportunity for him to impact games for us, and exactly what that looks like we’ll figure out. But he was great in our conversation and understood that this was an opportunity for the organization to take a step forward, and fully supported it.”
Contreras’ arrival creates avenues for the Red Sox to help Casas to find his way back at his own pace. Casas still has minor league options, and can therefore begin the season in Triple-A Worcester, where he will have more runway to reacclimate after missing most of the last two years.
When healthy Casas will find himself in more crowded competition, not only for designated hitter opportunities but first base. Though an injury initially prompted the Cardinals to transition the three-time All-Star catcher into a 1B/DH role in ’24, Breslow said the Red Sox don’t plan to reverse course. Thus Casas will be competing with Contreras for both roles, and with Masataka Yoshida, who currently projects to be the primary DH. The Red Sox are currently carrying four starting outfielders in Wilyer Abreu, Roman Anthony, Jarren Duran and Ceddanne Rafaela as well.
Even when healthy, Casas’ defense was a work in progress. In ’23, his only full season in the majors, he ranked in the seventh MLB percentile in fielding run value, and the second percentile in Outs Above Average.
In his first season as an everyday first baseman, Contreras ranked in the 77th percentile in fielding run value and the 91st percentile in OAA.
“It’s a credit to him, he made that transition pretty smoothly,” Breslow said of Contreras, “and even just throughout the season last year, improved defensively and by some marks was a well-above-average defensive first baseman.”
The Red Sox were open to trading Casas during the ’23-24 offseason. They could attempt to do so now, either by selling low or bundling him with additional players. His age and remaining years of club control make him an intriguing candidate; he turns 26 on Jan. 15 and won’t reach free agency until 2029.
First base, however, is not among the deepest positions in the Red Sox organization. The ideal outcome is one in which Casas works his way back and the Red Sox have “right-handed impact, left-handed impact, both guys that can hit the ball out of the park,” said Breslow.
“(It would) opportunity to keep everybody fresh, to keep everybody involved and engaged,” Breslow said. “At the same time, as we sit here in late December with Triston coming off of a season-ending injury, to get too far ahead of ourselves probably doesn’t make sense.”
