Triston Casas is the latest Red Sox player expected to miss an extended period of time on the injured list.
The first baseman was removed from Saturday’s game after injuring himself on a swing in Pittsburgh. He was later placed on the IL with a left rib strain, but on Tuesday, manager Alex Cora told reporters in Cleveland that Casas has a fractured rib and will miss a significant amount of time. He expected Casas to be able to play later this season, but did not give a timetable for his recovery.
Casas has a fracture. He’ll be out for an extended period. Back this season but the team is not giving a timetable. Dalbec will be the first baseman.
— Pete Abraham (@PeteAbe) April 23, 2024
With a dozen players already on the IL, the Red Sox can hardly afford to have one of their top hitters out for an extended period of time but they’ll have to make do.
Casas had played in all 22 of the Red Sox games until the time of the injury, hitting .244 with an .857 OPS, six homers and three doubles.
In Casas’ absence, Cora said Bobby Dalbec will see a majority of the playing time at first base. Dalbec has long struggled for consistency at the plate at the major-league level and in 14 games this season is just 1-for-30 with 18 strikeouts and three walks.
Utility man Pablo Reyes has also seen time at first base and Rob Refsnyder, who just returned from the IL (fractured toe), could see time at first base as well. It’s also possible the Red Sox will look outside the organization for a first baseman. The Chicago Cubs recently designated first baseman Garrett Cooper for assignment. In 12 games for Chicago, Cooper hit .270 with a .774 OPS, despite a strikeout rate over 30 percent.
In the meantime, the Red Sox have been without several key players for varying amounts of time — shortstop Trevor Story (shoulder surgery), starters Nick Pivetta (flexor strain) and Garrett Whitlock (oblique strain), and second baseman Vaughn Grissom (hamstring strain) among the most notable. Third baseman Rafael Devers has played in just 13 of 23 games, first dealing with shoulder soreness, before a bone bruise on his knee developed last week. He has not been on the IL and was scheduled to return to the lineup on Tuesday, but the Red Sox are giving him one more day. Outfielder Tyler O’Neill had been on the IL for the last eight days with a concussion, but returned to the active roster on Tuesday.
(Photo of Casas: Eric Canha / USA Today)
