Red Sox Have Sneaky Reason To Demote Slumping Slugger For Six Weeks

Boston might decide to exploit a contractual loophole

Jun 9, 2021; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; A general view of Fenway Park a sunset during a game between the Houston Astros and the Boston Red Sox. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images | Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox have a clever opportunity in front of them, but it would require demoting a player whose confidence has already suffered enough recent abuse.

Boston had a handful of hitters slumping to begin the 2025 season, but most of those guys have bounced back. Rafael Devers is beginning to slug, Jarren Duran is suddenly second on the team in total hits, and Ceddanne Rafaela is waking up, too.

The one guy who still hasn’t gotten it going at the plate is 25-year-old first baseman Triston Casas. The Athletic’s Jim Bowden recently described Casas as a “nightmare” (ouch). Entering Monday, Casas was hitting .172/.273/.310 with three home runs.

A lot of the negative takes on Casas in 2025 — though warranted based on his production so far — are overreactions in the grand scheme of things. It would be one thing if Casas was an unproven big-league hitter, but he’s not. This is a guy who has shown in the recent past that he’s capable of being a legitimate power-hitter in the Majors; the Red Sox wouldn’t have immense faith in Casas if that weren’t true.

Boston’s manager Alex Cora and Co. are likely to keep playing Casas so that the first baseman can break out of the slump and return to being the hitter he’s capable of by the postseason.

However, if for some reason Casas’s troubles at the plate only get worse — and last for much longer than expected — the Red Sox might think about exploiting an interesting detail in Casas’s contract.

That detail is as follows: Boston would gain another year of team control over Casas if the slugger were to spend 44 or more days with Triple-A Worcester Red Sox this season.

It’s something intriguing for the Red Sox to think about this summer. If Casas was mashing right now, Boston wouldn’t even consider sending him down just for a contractual opportunity.

But if Casas isn’t helping the big-league club win games, the Red Sox could demote Casas for six weeks to see if facing (and hopefully, destroying) minor-league pitching for a short while could help Casas regain confidence and rhythm at the plate.

Getting Casas back on track — while also getting another year of team control on his deal — would be a win-win for Boston.

On the other hand, sending Casas down could have an undesirable effect on his mental state and lead to further issues once he returns to The Show.

If Romy González gets hot for a stretch, Boston might have further reason to try out the above plan. But the most likely (and wisest) solution for Casas is to just let him work through the slump as the Red Sox’s everyday first baseman, without interruption.

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