On Tuesday, Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Triston Casas will begin swinging a bat this week.
“There’s a good chance he’ll start swinging this week,” Cora said. “So we’ll get into the details tomorrow.”
Casas underwent an MRI and is apparently ready to take the next step. He finally took some swings in the batting cage Wednesday, per Alex Speier of The Boston Globe. It was Casas’s first time hitting since going down with a left rib injury in April. Casas said he is feeling great but the real test will see how sore he is Thursday. He will certainly require a rehab assignment before returning and it’s still uncertain when that might happen.
Triston Casas said he swing in the cage this afternoon for the first time since his injury and felt great. The real test comes when he sees how sore he is tomorrow, but the initial return was like “riding a bike.”
— Alex Speier (@alexspeier) June 26, 2024
Triston Casas Taking Swings in Batting Cage
“Feelings can be deceiving,” Casas said before the Red Sox win on Monday. “Sometimes you might feel good but still might be recovering. That’s the need for the MRI, so we’re going to read it and make the evaluations after we talk to the doctor.”
Casas has missed 57 games and no one has provided much production for the first base position. In his absence, Boston’s first baseman as a collective has the second-worst batting average in majors (.199) and the worst slugging percentage (.289). Casas was hitting .244/.344/.513 with a .857 OPS and six home runs. Red Sox first baseman has managed four home runs since he was injured.
“Hopefully, it’s a pretty quick progression,” Casas said. “I don’t anticipate that I’ll need much time after I feel great. I feel I’ll hit [the ground running] because I’ve been keeping up with everything else. My activities, baseball activities, working out, running around, ground balls and stuff, so I feel like it’s going to be a quick transition back to the game plan.”
Casas’s strong numbers early this season are a continuation of his second half last year, hitting a robust .317/.417/.617 in 211 plate appearances after the All-Star break.
Main Photo: © Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
