Top Red Sox prospect Triston Casas is expected to return to Triple-A Worcester’s lineup for its series against the Syracuse Mets at Polar Park this weekend, according to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier.
Casas, 22, has spent the last two months on Worcester’s injured list after suffering a high right ankle sprain while running the basepaths in a game on May 17.
At that time, the Red Sox were optimistic that Casas would not be sidelined for long and would be able to return to action in a matter of weeks. But due to the nature of his injury, the 6-foot-4, 252-pound left-handed hitter struggled to put weight on his landing foot.
It was only just recently that Casas was able to once again swing a bat pain-free while working out at the Sox’ spring training complex in Fort Myers. The Miami-area native then began a rehab assignment with the club’s Florida Complex League affiliate last Tuesday.
In four games — the last of which came on Saturday — with the FCL Red Sox, Casas went 6-for-14 (.429) with three doubles, one home run, three RBIs, three runs scored, three walks, and two strikeouts. As noted by Speier, he tested his ankle by playing three straight days.
With the WooSox this season, Casas is batting .248/.359/.457 (115 wRC+) to go along with nine doubles, six homers, 22 RBIs, 22 runs scored, 23 walks, and 25 strikeouts over 36 games and 156 plate appearances. Beyond those numbers, he was hitting the ball hard and playing solid defense at first base.
Were it not for his ankle injury, the hulking first baseman very well could have been on the verge of making his major-league debut right about now. Instead, his two-month absence has all but certainly pushed back his call-up window.
That being said, the Red Sox have struggled to find consistent production from their first basemen throughout the 2022 season. In the month of July alone, Franchy Cordero has posted a .446 OPS in his last 15 games while Bobby Dalbec has an OPS of .689 in his last 13 contests.
Per MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo, Boston is going to look for upgrades at first base ahead of the August 2 trade deadline. While trade candidates such as Washington’s Josh Bell or Kansas City’s Hunter Dozier are possibilities, Casas could emerge as a possible solution for the Sox’ first-base woes now that he is healthy.
(Picture of Triston Casas: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)
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