Craig Breslow Hints At Whether Or Not Red Sox Will Replace Struggling 25-Year-Old

Boston Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas hasn't gotten off to the start he would have hoped for in 2025, and that's putting things mildly.

Casas is slashing .181/.280/.309 so far this season, good for just a 67 OPS+. He has been dropped from the cleanup spot in the lineup to the seven-hole, and he was even pulled for pinch-hitter Romy González in a crucial spot in Wednesday night's loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.

Casas had nearly identical numbers at the end of April in 2023, so we've seen him rebound from a slow start before. But the pressure on this year's Red Sox team is a lot greater, and though none of them play first base, the Red Sox have a lot of talented hitters not currently on the big-league roster.

So is there legitimate reason to think Casas might soon lose his spot?

During an appearance on WEEI's "The Greg Hill Show" on Thursday, Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow was asked about the possibility of a "Plan B" if Casas' struggles continue, and he had a predictably vague response.

“So, we want to put the best team on the field that we possibly can, the one that gives us the best chance of winning games,” Breslow said. “I think we've seen some signs from Triston that things could be trending in the right direction over the last week and a half or so.

"It seems like there have been some in-game performances that have been encouraging, whether it's a couple hits the other night, a couple home runs on the homestand. But more than that, just about being on time and getting his best swing off, not allowing hittable pitches to pass by in the strike zone. We've seen some more of that, and so we're encouraged. But at the same time, our job is to put the best team on the field that we possibly can.”

Being a big-league general manager is all about answering a question while not answering it, so it's no surprise that Breslow didn't give any detail about how much longer Casas would have to prove himself or what a backup option might look like.

Still, it's the first time that Breslow has included any anecdotes that hint at Casas not being in the lineup for the foreseeable future. He was directly asked about it, and he expressed confidence in the slugger, but Casas clearly doesn't have an endless leash.

Still, there should be enough time for Casas to straighten himself out before the front office seriously considers replacing him. He's rebounded from a slow start once before, so the odds are in favor of him doing it again.

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