The countdown for Triston Casas’s return to the Red Sox lineup is underway. The first baseman is eyeing a comeback for the series against the Miami Marlins, beginning July 2. Casas, who suffered a rib injury in April, has started swinging the bat again, according to The Boston Globe’s Julian McWilliams.
“I’m not making contact with the ball yet,” Casas said. “The force of the ball is powerful, for sure. So we’re making sure that I come in a couple of days in a row consecutively after swinging without any soreness or any blowback before I start making contact. Then after that, everything should progress pretty rapidly.”
Casas revealed that he has taken roughly 30 swings in the days leading up to the Red Sox’s win over the Yankees on Saturday. While Casas aims to rejoin the team for their trip to his native South Florida, Red Sox manager Alex Cora remains cautious about his return timeline but is encouraged by Casas’s progression.
“I haven’t talked to [the medical staff] about Casas, but if that’s the case, that’s a good sign,” Cora said. “I know he has this goal in mind of the time we go to Miami. Hopefully, that’s the case. We’ve got to be smart. He needs to be smart. And so far, he has been outstanding with it.”
Casas suffered the rib injury on a swing during a Red Sox win over the Pirates on April 20. The injury was later diagnosed as a cartilage tear in his rib cage, leading to his placement on the 60-day injured list. Casas had initially targeted a June 21 return, the first day he’d be eligible to be activated from the injured list. With a new target date of July 2, Casas has just over two weeks to continue his rehab before a potential minor league rehab stint.
The Red Sox have struggled at first base in Casas’s absence. Garrett Cooper, acquired to fill the gap, was released after hitting .171. Dom Smith and Bobby Dalbec have also struggled, batting .216 and .133 respectively, although Smith has shown improvement in June with an .846 OPS.
Before his injury, Casas was slashing .244/.344/.513 with six home runs and 10 RBIs through 22 games. He finished the 2023 season strong, batting .317 with a 1.034 OPS and 15 home runs in the 54 games following the All-Star break.
The Red Sox received more good injury news on Saturday. Reliever Chris Martin will pitch an inning for Triple-A Worcester on Sunday after being placed on the injured list for anxiety. Utility man Romy Gonzalez will also play in Sunday’s game for the WooSox in his third game of a rehab stint following a hamstring injury. Both are expected to rejoin the team for their upcoming series against the Blue Jays.
Right fielder Wilyer Abreu should return soon as well. Abreu ran the basepaths ahead of Saturday’s game and is expected to start a rehab stint with Triple-A Worcester early this week. If all goes well, Abreu should be back in the Red Sox lineup for their series with the Reds next weekend.
