Tag: tigres del licey

Red Sox’ Triston Casas unlikely to return to Dominican Winter League due to knee injury

UPDATE: Licey general manager Audo Vicente told reporters (including David Alcantara) on Tuesday that while Casas remains in Boston, he is expected to rejoin the team in the third week of November.

Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas is not expected to return to the Dominican Winter League this offseason, chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom told reporters (including The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier) at the GM Meetings in Las Vegas on Monday.

Casas had been playing for the Tigres del Licey and went 2-for-9 (.222) with one RBI, two runs scored, five walks, and three strikeouts in his first three games with the club. The 22-year-old last suited up for Licey on October 17 and has since been sidelined with knee soreness.

Because of that discomfort, the Red Sox flew Casas to Boston so he could undergo further testing. An MRI revealed no structural damage, leaving Bloom and other team officials to believe Casas would be able to return to the Dominican Republic before Licey’s season ended. They no longer share that sense of optimism.

“He came back home, we looked at the knee, and we are not concerned,” Bloom said of Casas. “But just given that the soreness was still lingering, given what’s ahead of him — hopefully big things in 2023 — he ended up going back [home] to Florida. At this point, we don’t expect him to go back to [Licey].”

One of the reasons the Red Sox sent Casas to the Dominican because the former first-round draft pick missed nearly two months of the minor-league season with a high right ankle sprain. The idea was for him to make up for lost time, but this latest injury appears to have prevented that from happening in full.

Casas, who turns 23 in January, is expected to emerge as Boston’s everyday first baseman in 2023 if he can stay healthy. The left-handed hitter made his highly-anticipated major-league debut in September and batted .197/.358/.408 with one double, five home runs, 12 RBIs, 11 runs scored, one stolen base, 19 walks, and 23 strikeouts over 27 games (95 plate appearances) with the Red Sox.

(Picture of Triston Casas: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

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Red Sox’ Triston Casas dealing with knee discomfort in winter ball

Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas is dealing with minor knee discomfort as he plays for the Tigres del Licey of the Dominican Winter League, the team announced on Wednesday night.

Casas has been held out of Licey’s lineup since Monday. The team disclosed in a tweet that the 22-year-old underwent an MRI that revealed no structural damage. They are optimistic that he will be able to return to action for Friday’s contest against the Toros del Este.

While it is not yet known if Casas will be back in the lineup on Friday, the Red Sox do not appear to be too concerned about his injury. That is what a source with knowledge of the information told MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo on Friday. The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier also reported that Casas is expected to be able to play again before the Dominican Winter League season comes to a close.

Casas played three games for Licey before getting hurt. The left-handed hitter went 2-for-9 (.222) with an RBI, five walks, and three strikeouts. Red Sox third base coach Carlos Febles is serving as Licey’s bench coach this winter, so someone from the club will be able to keep tabs on Casas’ knee and exercise caution if necessary moving forward.

Still regarded by Baseball America as the No. 3 prospect in Boston’s farm system, Casas made his major-league debut for the Sox at the beginning of September. The former first-round pick batted .197/.358/.408 with one double, five home runs, 12 RBIs, 11 runs scored, one stolen base, 19 walks, and 23 strikeouts over 27 games (95 plate appearances) to close out the season.

Before getting called up from Triple-A Worcester, though, Casas missed nearly two month of the minor-league season due to a high right ankle sprain. The lack of seeing live pitching over the summer was likely a factor in the Red Sox opting to have Casas play winter ball in the Dominican Republic.

Casas, who turns 23 in January, is expected to have a strong chance at emerging as Boston’s everyday first baseman nest season, though he may have to compete with Eric Hosmer and Bobby Dalbec for the starting job in the spring.

(Picture of Triston Casas: Winslow Townson/Getty Images)