Red Sox's Triston Casas in Limbo Before Spring Training

Do the Boston Red Sox already have the big bat they are looking for on the roster?

All offseason, a talking point around the organization has been the need to add one or two sluggers. The Red Sox brought Willson Contreras to town, but lost Alex Bregman. So, it would seem like there is one more hole to fill in the order to really take the lineup to a higher level.

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With a surplus of outfielders and hole in the infield, it's also difficult to chart a path forward from a roster-building standpoint. There have been a handful of guys linked to the club, like Nico Hoerner and Brendan Donovan, but there isn't a perfect fit out there. It shouldn't be forgotten that the Red Sox also have another slugger on their hands in Triston Casas, although his fit isn't perfect right now either. Casas missed most of the 2025 season and the club brought in Contreras, who will take over first base. The Athletic's Jen McCaffrey gave a brief update on Casas noting that it's likely he'll be ready to go in May.

What's next with Triston Casas?

Apr 22, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox first base Triston Casas (36) hits a three run home run against the Seattle Mariners in the seventh inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

"Then there’s Triston Casas, who said at Fenway Fest that while his recovery from a ruptured patellar tendon is going well and that he hopes to begin seeing game action in Spring Training, it’s more likely he’ll be ready to return to the Red Sox by May, a full year post-operation," McCaffrey wrote. "When he does, how he works into the DH/first base rotation will be yet another thing Cora must consider."

MassLive.com's Sean McAdam also had a Casas update noting that if the Red Sox can find a taker for Masataka Yoshida, Casas could get at-bats as designated hitter.

"The acquisition of Willson Contreras makes the veteran the everyday first baseman and effectively blocks Casas at the position, though, if healthy, Casas could see some playing time to give Contreras a breather," McAdam wrote. "If the Red Sox can find a taker for Masataka Yoshida and his remaining salary, Casas could also get some at-bats at DH. But with an extra outfielder and Yoshida on the roster, Casas doesn’t have much of a pathway to DH time. He could start the year at Triple A and hope for an opening, or be dealt elsewhere."

Casas is a left-handed bat, which wouldn't help to balance the lineup, but he boasts significant pop if he can stay healthy. Right now it's about figuring out how the pieces fit together. The Red Sox have arguably the best outfield in baseball, but there aren't enough spots to go around, which would likely mean the DH spot needs to be utilized to get them in the lineup. If an outfielder were to be traded, or the club got creative, that could change the discussion.

McCaffrey reported the Red Sox "no longer view" second base as an option for Jarren Duran, for example. While Duran may not fix the defensive problem for the club, imagine if the club could find a way to have him in the infield, get Wilyer Abreu, Roman Anthony and Ceddanne Rafaela in the lineup plus someone like Casas or Yoshida as DH? Creative, but not likely. Regardless, Casas' role remains something to watch without a clear answer.

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