Tag: medical

Red Sox top prospect Triston Casas back in Fort Myers: ‘The fact that he’s here already is a positive step,’ Alex Cora says

Red Sox infield prospect Triston Casas returned to Fort Myers on Thursday night and is currently undergoing the intake process before reporting back to the Fenway South complex.

Casas, the top prospect in Boston’s farm system according to Baseball America, had been in Boston for a non-baseball-related medical issue.

“With Casas, we’re getting closer,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters Saturday morning. “He’s actually here in Fort Myers. He’s not here in the facility, still going through intake and all that stuff. But we feel confident that, hopefully, he can join the team over the course of the week. So things are trending in the right direction.”

Casas, who turned 21 in January, is currently one of 34 non-roster invitees at major-league spring training. The left-handed hitting, right-handed throwing corner infielder was originally selected by Boston in the first round of the 2018 amateur draft out of American Heritage High School in Plantation, Fla.

The specific reason as to why Casas was in Boston is unclear, but the fact that he was there to be evaluated for a non-baseball medical issue caused quite the stir in regards to thinking about the Florida native’s long-term outlook.

“As of now, there’s a lot of people involved in this situation,” said Cora. “And people are feeling better the last few days. So hopefully, like I said, if you see him joining the team, that’s a good sign. The fact that he’s here already is a positive step and hoping that he can join us. I think a lot of people are feeling better the last few days.”

With no minor-league baseball last year, Casas is coming off a 2020 season in which he spent time at both the Red Sox’ alternate training site in Pawtucket and fall instructional league in Fort Myers, where he was one of the more impressive position players in attendance.

The last time he saw any organized minor-league action, the 6-foot-4, 252 lb. infielder slashed .256/.350/.480 with 20 home runs and 81 RBI over 120 total games between Class-A Greenville and High-A Salem en route to being named Boston’s 2019 minor league offensive Player of the Year.

Casas is slated to begin the 2021 minor-league season with Double-A Portland, but the hope is he will have the opportunity to get into some Grapefruit League games before then.

(Picture of Triston Casas: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)

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Red Sox top prospect Triston Casas in Boston for non-baseball medical issue, expected back in Fort Myers ‘very soon’

Before his team took on the Orioles in Sarasota on Thursday, Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters that top prospect Triston Casas is currently in Boston to address a non-baseball-related medical issue.

“He’s actually in Boston,” Cora said when asked why Casas has yet to appear in any games so far this spring. “They found something medically that we have to take care of. It’s not baseball-related. It’s actually personal. I’ll leave it at that. We’re hoping that everything is fine. He’s in Boston right now going through all that stuff.”

Casas, who turned 21 in January, is currently regarded by Baseball America as the top prospect in the Red Sox’ farm system. Boston originally selected the young corner infielder out of American Heritage High School (Plantation, Fla.) with their top pick in the 2018 amateur draft.

In his first full minor-league season the following year, Casas slashed an impressive .256/.350/.480 to go along with 20 home runs and 81 RBI over 120 total games between Class-A Greenville and High-A Salem. He was named the organization’s offensive player of the year for his efforts.

With no minor-league baseball at all in 2020 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Florida native was limited in what he could do to further his development, but he still impressed at the Red Sox’ alternate training site in Pawtucket and fall instructional league in Fort Myers.

Leading up to the start of the 2021 campaign, the left-handed hitting Casas — listed at 6-foot-4 and 252 lbs. — was without a doubt a prospect worthy of garnering a solid amount of attention at the onset of spring training.

That garnering of attention has yet to come to fruition down at the Fenway South complex to this point in time, but it does appear that Casas could return to southwest Florida relatively soon.

This being the case because according to The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier and Julian McWilliams, “the decision to send Casas to Boston was an effort on the part of the Red Sox to be thorough, and there’s a good chance that he’ll be back in Fort Myers, Fla., and taking part in baseball activities in a matter of days.”

MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo adds that “Casas is planning on returning to Fort Myers [Thursday] or [Friday]” and it’s “unclear what the medical issue was, but he’s expected back in camp very soon.”

The fact that Casas may only miss a limited amount of time here is certainly encouraging and we look forward to seeing him back at JetBlue Park.

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For what it’s worth, Casas is projected to begin the 2021 season with Double-A Portland, whose season will not start until sometime in May at the earliest.

(Picture of Triston Casas: Kelly O’Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com)