12:42pm: Cora told reporters this afternoon, including Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe, that Casas is headed for an MRI in Boston tomorrow and that there is concern he could be in for a “lengthy” absence. The manager added that the team intends to discuss its options tomorrow. Abraham adds that Casas told reporters this afternoon that he’s in “a lot of pain” due to the injury and feels it when swinging the bat.
April 21, 9:32am: The Red Sox officially placed Casas on the 10-day injured list with a left rib strain this morning, recalling Heineman in the corresponding move. Heineman, 33 in June, has participated in parts of four MLB seasons and struggled with the bat during his limited time in the majors, slashing just .218/.297/.282 in 104 career games.
April 20: Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas exited today’s game against the Pirates in the first inning due to what the club has termed left rib discomfort. As noted by Chris Cotillo of MassLive, manager Alex Cora indicated to reporters after the game that he was “concerned” about Casas’s injury and that the first baseman had left the ballpark to undergo further testing. While it’s not entirely clear how serious Casas’s injury is, it appears the club is at least preparing for the possibility that an IL stint will be required as Cotillo also reports that journeyman catcher Tyler Heineman is set to join the club in Pittsburgh tomorrow as the only healthy position player on the club’s 40-man roster who isn’t already on the active roster.
If Casas were to miss an extended period of time, it would be brutal news for the Red Sox. The 24-year-old slugger has gotten off to an excellent start so far this season with a .244/.337/.513 slash line with six home runs in just 89 trips to the plate. The youngster’s strong numbers early in the 2024 season are a continuation of his hot second half last year, when he slashed an incredible .317/.417/.617 in 211 trips to the plate after the All Star break.
It’s the latest in a series of injury woes for Boston, as the club has already lost Trevor Story, Vaughn Grissom, Tyler O’Neill, and Romy Gonzalez to the injured list while Rafael Devers has missed each of the last three games after dealing with discomfort in his left knee earlier this week that eventually required him to be sent for an MRI. If even one of Devers or Casas, the Red Sox would be stretched incredible thin in terms of infield depth, and IL stints for both of the club’s regular corner infielders would leave the club with a patchwork infield involving none of the club’s on-paper starters on the first.
Center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela has taken over at shortstop in recent days following Story’s injury, while Enmanuel Valdez has filled in for Grissom at second base to this point in the season. Bobby Dalbec has filled in for Devers at third base in recent days and has plenty of experience at first that could allow him to replace Casas as needed, leaving the likes of Pablo Reyes and David Hamilton to act as utility infielders off the bench and/or handle the hot corner in Devers’ stead if necessary.
Cotillo also notes that outfielder Rob Refsnyder took reps at first base while rehabbing earlier this season, but the 33-year-old hasn’t appeared on the infield dirt since 2018 and any appearances on the infield would further deplete an outfield mix that has already lost Rafaela to the infield and O’Neill to the injured list. With that being said, depth options such as Dalton Guthrie and Eddy Alvarez are available at the Triple-A level to be called up if necessary, though neither is currently on the 40-man roster and would therefore require a corresponding move to be made in order for Boston to select their respective contracts.
This is what happens when you acquire no MLB depth in the offseason….
At what point do we start questioning their trainers and strength and conditioning practices due to all the injuries?
Also have other Catchers in Minors that can play 1B..
The Red Sox problem isn’t a lack of players who can play 1B if Casas is out, it’s that they don’t have room on their 40-man roster.
Unless Casas is seriously injured and they expect him to be out at least two months, he’ll be the 8th injured Boston player who still counts towards the 40-man roster. Only one of those guys, 2B/SS Vaughn Grissom is on a rehab stint and expected back soon.
With the exception of Heineman (and Vaughn Grissom), all of the position players on the Red Sox 40-man are already on the MLB roster. They have no choice but to use him. If they want to put another minor leaguer on their 40-man they’d have to DFA/release/trade somebody or put them on the 60-day IL.
Naval – Great post! I totally agree, this roster was horribly constructed as their focus was on saving money instead of building depth.
One thing not mentioned in the above article, both Devers and O’Neill are due back Tuesday. So you can expect Dalbec to play first base for a while if Casas has an extended absence.
The Sox should reach out to the Cardinals about Goldy. He would probably turned back into Paul Goldschmidt if he could get out of St. Louis.
Don – Zero chance the Sox take on Goldy’s contract or even just trade prospects for him.
You’re absolutely right. The Cards would have to eat most of the money and expect next to nothing in return. But sadly, our management team has backed us into a spot where that trade still makes sense for us.
It would probably help the Sox in multiple ways as well. Goldy looks terrible at the plate right now, but he is still elite with the glove.
Don – The Sox already have a decent first base glove in Dalbec, so I don’t see them trading for another.
I think Cron or Belt would be much more likely. Belt would be ideal, if the Sox are willing to spend on him … which is a huge if.
Cron is playing in the minors. Belt is sitting at home. Belt won’t be a short term replacement piece. He not going to be ready quickly, and not going to sign to be dfa’d as players get healthy. Cron could be traded for, and doesn’t get a say. Plus he would be ready now.
Surely Belt would sign for any opportunity at this point?
stymee – You have a valid point about readiness, but if it takes 3 weeks for Belt to get into game shape I still think it’s the best option. Casas will likely be out for a couple months, at least.
In the meantime Jared Walsh might be worth a pickup
n – I totally agree. As the saying goes, beggars can’t be choosers. He needs to sign somewhere, not just for income this year but also it will be much tougher to get a contract next year if he doesn’t play at all this year.
The contract doesn’t seem like it should be major stumbling block. The Cardinals are paying him for the year one way or the other so if continuing to pay him facilitated a move then what’s the harm?
Cliff – It the Sox would give up very little and pay just minimum salary, then sure I’d go for it.
BTW just curious, what do you think is the reason for Goldy’s decline?
It depends on what you mean. The decline from ’22 to last year? Or what he’s doing this year?
Some of it is probably just age. He’s probably never going to be the “22 MVP version of himself again. But I think most of it is just him pressing too much trying to make up for his lackluster team. From the All-Star break last season until now, he has chased more bad pitches than I’ve ever seen in his Cardinal tenure. A change of scenery would do him wonders.
“Lengthy absence”. Goldy > Pablo Reyes. Just sayin’.
Don – From 2022 to last year, players don’t age that fast. It’s fair to not expect another MVP season, but a 171 point drop in OPS is huge. Is he injured maybe? Decline in vision? Personal stuff going on?
Players at his age with his track record don’t usually suddenly begin to press.
This team is such a mess, and I feel really bad for the young guys. There’s probably enough talent on this roster that if ownership had invested in some depth options this could’ve been a breakthrough year. Sigh…
Also, hindsight’s 20/20, but cutting Cron in favor of Dalbec is looking pretty silly right about now, isn’t it?
Its time for Brandon Belt!!!!
Buff – YES!!! If Casas is out for an extended period of time, I would be totally on board with it.
Was looking at the WooSox roster, any chance Niko Kavadas gets a chance? (Assuming Casas goes to the IL)
He wouldn’t help with the high strikeout numbers, but he sure would be fun to watch!
That’s what u was thinking too
Sorry I not u lol
Redsoxx – You’re not him? Okay ….
Looks like the dreaded Oblique injury has claimed another hitter. When will these teams learn that these guys can’t take countless swings every day in the cages? Body can only take so much.
not – It’s not oblique, it’s either bruised/fractured ribs or torn cartilage. Both worse IMO.
Please no more blobby dalbec! He can’t hit, just sign someone, anyone, with a pulse!
This is really Dalbec’s best and last chance to become the player he needs to be. He is better defensively than most give him credit for and he has shown in the past that he has the potential to be an every day player.
We have seen examples in the past of bench/back-up players taking advantage of opportunities created by injuries… ‘Tek replacing Hatteburg (younger members here may not remember that Tek was the back up), Tom Brady replacing Bledsoe. Duran last year seized a starter role last year.
I am not saying Dalbec will, or even can, suddenly become the next face of a franchise. But if he finally gets out of his own head, as he seems to finally be doing, then he can become the next everyday role player. The next Trot Nixon or Orlando Cabrera. Heck, at this point I would take Rob Deer!
He has the tools, he just needs to stop waxing the toolbox and open the effing thing.
It is his moment to shine, his team needs him, and I am pulling for him.
It is the year of The Kid Sox… let’s see what happens!
I agree with you on his defense, but Dalbec is already 28 and (if you look at his minor league numbers) his whiff rate is trending the wrong way. A decent starting player needs to be able to put up a +2 WAR, and Dalbec topped out at +0.5 WAR even when he was striking out just 34% of the time. Hard to imagine him doing even that much at this point with a strikeout rate of 37% and rising.
I think you underrate Nixon? He averaged +3.4 WAR from 1999-2003, ages 25-29. Dalbec is already aging out of those “prime’ years and hasn’t come anywhere remotely close to it. Rob Deer put up +7.9 WAR over the same age span, striking out just 30% of the time.
Wilyer Abreu reminds me of a young Trot Nixon. Nixon is his upside, though, a really good player.
Agree about Nixon, TFF. Trot is one of my all time favorite players. A dirt dog in the truest sense. I wasn’t comparing stat wise, but rather role wise. Trot wasn’t a super star, but a team star who played his heart out. Dalbec could become that if he just hits .250
Yeah, with a .250 BA he would be a decent player. The problem is that he is closer to .200 over the last 500 PA. That is a wide gap to bridge.
@FPG I think Devers can use all the reps he can get at 3B. He is still passable there, even if he will never be good.
DBH – Do you remember the big homerun Trot hit off Clemens on Sunday Night Baseball?
I always liked Trot and Tek for being the quiet, lowkey, intense players they were …. the exact opposite of guys like Millar, who I didn’t really care for as a player.
TFF – Glad to see I’m not the only one who is okay with Devers at 3B for the immediate future! I thought I was alone on that island here. LOL!!
What about Yoshida, what are your thoughts on him? He seems to have turned things around in a big way now, at the exact same time as last year.
I can not believe there are 2 people who think Devers should be playing 3b. I must be reading this wrong. Otherwise I didn’t just see a unicorn, I saw a unicorn being groomed by Bigfoot!
Yoshida doesn’t play defense, is slow on the basepaths. To hold down a starting job as a DH you need to be a GOOD hitter, and with more power than he has shown to date. Maybe an .850 OPS? I’m not seeing that from him yet, but hope that he can make me eat my words.
DBH – To clarify my position, I supported giving Devers one final chance this year to see if he can improve. Otherwise I’d really, really like to see him given a shot at 1B …. just like Vladdy.
And if he doesn’t work out at 1B, then they bite the bullet and DH or trade him.
TFF – Yoshida has a .954 OPS since April 13th!
Yesterday he had 3 hits including a homerun and a double!!
Macho Man is baaaaaaaack!!!
DBH – I totally agree Bobby is a decent glove at multiple positions, but the hitting has to greatly improve for him to stay on the roster even if Casas is done for the year.
What I’d like to know, why hasn’t Cora been trying out Devers at first base during practice and ST? If Casas is out a while now would be the PERFECT time to see how Devers does at first base …. if he was given some reps there in practice drills and ST, like Ref was.
@FPG, Devers isn’t playing 1st for same reason he isn’t the DH, which is the same reason he isn’t on the DL… OPTICS!!!
The Sox PR department and FO is already a laughing stock. There is no way they make those moves after the PR spamfest they’ve put into him.
Devers will play 3B while sitting on a bed pan before you see him play 1st base
DBH – I totally agree with you, but this is yet another example of the Red Sox inconsistency with regard to decisionmaking.
They are so hellbent on forcing players to play multiple positions and move them around in the lineup, so why not turn Devers into a “versatile” player? They contradict themselves so often, it’s a major turnoff and just another sign of the total dysfunction within the Red Sox braintrust.
Dalbec takes too many pitches and is constantly in 0-2/ 1-2 counts.
Coop – Seems like sometimes he’s wearing glasses, sometimes he’s not. Loomer was talking about it the other day. Maybe it’s a vision issue?
Thus some food for thought: Sox have lost their entire starting infield, a starting OF, and chunck of their starting pitching… and are still above .500 and only 2.5 out of 1st in a the only division that has every team above .500.
I am telling you all it is The Year of the Kid Sox! A club that will end around .500 but headed in the right direction. So grab a brew, pull the cap out of the fire place, and enjoy the show. Like I posted on the Globe. When they win, you can see the Kids’ potention, when they lose you can see what they are still working on, but either way, these kids are fun as eff to watch. Even when they make you pull out your hair and scream at the TV
Amazing that they have a positive W-L record with all the injuries they have had. I think Cora and the entire coaching staff deserves commendation.
burgs – This is the exact same situation as the prior two years, weak schedule at the start of the season makes them look better than they are.
Let’s take a look at their schedule thus far, shall we?
4-2 against the 9-12 Angels
3-0 against the 8-13 A’s
2-0 against a slumping Pirates team that is 2-8 in their last 10
2-2 against a .500 Mariners team
And 1-6 against the only good teams they’ve played, Cleveland & Baltimore
Let’s see how they do in Cleveland before heaping praise on Cora.
Cora deserves no praise regardless. They win despite him.
Its fine. Best starters in baseball
Losing Casas for an extended length of time is an absolute killer for this team. He’s the best hitter on the team imo, he hadn’t even got hot yet and was still sporting 6 homers and an ops north of .850 and it was just recently you could see his timing was getting better and better he was about to take off. I think they need to sign Belt if he has a long term injury this season. This really sucks I’m guessing Devers will be back soon same with O’Neil but none of them are Casas. Hell it seems like have his K’s are looking and half of those wring ups the ump missed the call he could be sporting a .400 obp with the robot umps and probably a couple of extra wins.
Bruin – It’s a killer for me personally, as my interpreter would have won $20K if Casas led the majors in homeruns this year.
Devers and O’Neill both back Tuesday per Cora.
That will help Fever. Casas will still be a huge loss.
Glad to see it’s only a strain still it’s a trick injury and his swing is so rotational just hope he lets it heal before coming back. I saw him wince on that first at bat yesterday I think that’s when he did it.
Well sheeit not a good update
They won today…try to enjoy it
The hits just keep on coming…
Well, 10 days isn’t 60, so it could be worse.
We now have 3 catchers. If we lose another infielder, we are in seroius trouble. They will rush Devers back and ensure that he ends up seriously hurt.
Mark my words…. we are less than a month away from losing Devers for an extended period from.injury to his shoulder, knees, or both.
All because the Sox can’t be bother to sign another body.
All of that good MOJO I was feeling this morning is evaporating
And yet Joely is too valuable to jetison!!!!
Brutal week for the Red Sox.
Why isn’t Yoshida playing? Makes no sense
Ask the Manager….. how about why is Reyes playing 1B and Dalbec playing 3B????
Dalbec isn’t bad defensively. Reyes struggles on the left side of the infield.
Dalbec sadly might be the best defensive 3b in the whole organization
Good question on yoshida..unless they dont think he can hit a lefty
this stinks
i was bred to hate the red sox like poison but watching his at-bats are fun
Entitled fans as usual
Did somebody in the Sox clubhouse drink Jobu’s rum.
C.J. Cron is still unemployed, might be worth bringing back as a depth option
Bobby dalbec beat him out…do we really want someone dalbec can play better than..ever?
At this point a healthy body is more important than anything
Brandon Belt is sitting at home waiting for a call.
Now’s the time.
Would he take the Belt Way to get to Fenway?
Belt refused to sign a guaranteed incentive laden deal with the Mets as well as minor league contracts with other teams so i doubt unless he’s desperate to play that he would take what the Sox would offer
Knock Knock? “Bobby!” Bobby Who? “Bobby Dalbec who doesnt belong in the major leagues except the Red Sox are so damn desperate to have someone with a beating heart but would be better off bringing up Marcello Meyer and watch him go 1 for 50.
Mayer has looked great for portland so far
Yup if you just look at statistics he looks good he did square a ball up today which is nice but his numbers are babip driven he’s not anywhere near ready.
If the Red Sox had forfeited their entire 2016 Draft, they wouldve been better off.
Groome
Chatham
Anderson
Dalbec
Shawaryn
Pirates looked like the bad news bears today and got swept by what many here think is a triple a lineup..good thing they play the games otherwise youd think bos would be the team getting swept lol
When you get swept by a team where Rob Refsnyder is one of the more accomplished hitters in the lineup you would probably lose to the Bad News Bears, at their current ages…
I’ve had a rib injury before. It took years to heal. This could be a problem.
Holliday and Dalbec are both 1 for 30.
Could be a lot worse. Imagine being a pirates fan and watching this series. Ouch !!
Pirates looked lost all weekend, especially today.
The Pirates started the season off really well. I wonder what happened.
They did the same last year, I remember them coming to Boston and kicking the Sox butt for 4 straight games.
They started 2023 off 20-8, then went on to finish 76-86. Im just glad Red Sox got to them AFTER their hot start ended this year.
Good point. I remember that last year. I was rooting for the Pirates to win the NL Central, but now I’m rooting for the Brewers.
Sox fans need to chill, myself included. 15% of the way through the year. Aren’t expected to compete regardless, but even with Giolito, Pivetta, Devers, O’Neill, Casas, Story, Grissom, Whitlock, etc. injured to various degrees, still 3 over 500 including 10-3 on the road.
Should they have more depth? Yes. Did I enjoy seeing Heineman’s name in an MLB box score? No. But in the meantime Reyes and Valdez deserve credit for shoring up the infield, and Crawford and Houck (among others) deserve credit for stepping up with a weakened lineup
Dirtyjog: Great point. 23 games in, long way to go. I don’t think they are competing at full health. Let’s be realistic did anyone think they would be pitching as well as they have with what they have.
dirty – Hard to ignore 11 of the 12 wins are against bad teams, and they are just 1-6 against good teams.
I look forward to the return of Devers and O’Neill Tuesday, let’s see how they do in Cleveland. It’s not just about winning, it’s about player development. If the Sox want to compete in 2025 or 2026, guys like Rafaela and Grissom and Bello HAVE to improve because they will dictate how the future plays out.
Only way for them to improve is to keep working at it – and it helps that Cora shows confidence in them even when it isn’t justified by the numbers.
TFF – In all fairness to Cora, what other choice does he have?
I really think he’s sticking it to management by doing things like batting Rafaela (.210 OBP) leadoff and starting Heineken (career .580 OPS) at DH.
Cora is probably pissed at what he’s been given to work with, especially with this being a contract year for him. His earnings potential is being dragged down.
I know you wanted Yoshida at DH, but it is possible he wasn’t available. He didn’t come in as a pinch-hitter either. Beyond that, who else? Hamilton or McGuire (against a LHP)?
Cora plays his full roster (a strength in my opinion). If he is putting poor lineups out on the field, that reflects the quality of the players he was given.
Lineup orders are often strange, but that is strictly a second-order effect. There isn’t any way to manage this roster to a playoff berth, so I’m happy with whatever Cora believes is best for his players and their development. Not worth getting upset over.
I doubt he’ll have any difficulty finding a job should he choose to leave. But in my opinion his best strength is in supporting the development of young players.
TFF – No indication he was injured, media outlets questioned the decision. If you see anything from Cora explaining the decision please let me know as I’m curious what he gives for a reason. I fear it would be the typical “I wanted him to have two consecutive days off” BS which he tends to do with offdays.
Yes on McGuire, who replaced Heineken anyway after just one AB. Does it make sense to burn one of the few position players on the bench so early in a game? No, of course not.
I know how Cora operates, he sent a message to the front office with that move.
I’ve already posted a few times that Cora doesn’t have much to work with, glad you agree :O)
Isn’t the development of Yoshida just as important, if not more important, than Heineken?
I see you’re a big Cora fan and I respect that, I will try not to discuss him with you. It’s just hard sometimes trying to remember who likes who and who dislikes who.
Me, I’m easy because I don’t take sides on players or manager or coaching staff etc. I will defend and criticize based on right and wrong, nothing more.
I try to be fair to all… I’m not so much a Cora “fan” as it is that I try to understand his strengths and weaknesses, same as I do with players. It is very easy for us to focus on the weaknesses but that is rarely the whole picture.
Just like the Astros have only played good teams to start their season.
It’s still early but I don’t think the RS are as bad as some fans make it out to be. I think those extensions will work out.
It’s amazing how clueless fans are when it comes to whether their team is on a hot streak or simply playing bad teams. Clowns like Amsinger and Reynolds and many other MLB experts have the same issue because they don’t dig into the details.
Boston is now 13-10 and many think they are on a hot streak. They are not because they play CLE next who beat them three out of four in Boston. This time they have to play in CLE where their chances are lower.
So the month was supposed to end with a record of 16-16 and be the best month of the year thanks to a very weak schedule. The season is progressing exactly as planned.. Each series varies from the prediction but just like last year the number of positive results are off set by nearly the exact same number of negative results. Last year the prediction was 74 wins and the team won 78 thanks to NYY and TOR. In 2024, there will be anomaly series both positive and negative. But in the end, fans need to realize it’s the strength of opponents that dictates the season results, not hot and cold play. It’s Boston sweeping bad teams like PIT and OAK and being swept by excellent teams like BAL. Nobody is hot right now, they are just playing a bad team and are now traveling to a good team to be beat up and called cold by the media not simply over matched like they were in BOS.
13-10 with 9 games left in April against CLE, SF and CHC. If BOS loses 2 of 3 in each series the team will be 16-16 just as predicted by the end of April.
Is that hot or cold? NO. They either play better or worse teams. It’s that simply. Now, with all the injuries it seems unlikely they will win 3 games but it could happen. The problem is May is going to be very ugly in comparison.
April saw four bad teams two got sweep and BOS won against the other two bad teams 2-1. They played two average series and lost 5 of 8 games and got swept by the lone good team.
Here is May’s schedule:
MIN (AVG), ATL (GOOD), WAS (BAD), TB (GOOD), STL (AVG) TB (GOOD), MIL (AVG), BAL (GOOD) and DET (AVG).
28 games and the highest probability for 9 wins. At that point the 25-35 record puts them 10 games under .500, at least 5 games behind 4th place and completely written off for the players by May 31.
So consider the fact that BOS won’t be cold in May, they will simply be over matched. They will have one series where they may look to be hot since it’s against WAS but they won’t be hot, they will simply over match WAS. The next series will be against TB and they will once again be over matched.
So JB, get your bragging in about being hot right now because it’s not going to last and recognize BOS will only be favored in TWO series between now and July.
Rafaela is an excellent fill in for shortstop and has really solidified the defense. Maybe he will start to hit and become the Betts replacement. Asking for a lot, I know but, hey, I can dream.
Ought to be a moratorium on comparing Rafaela and Betts. I mean they do have some of the same skill set, but there is a HUGE difference in their plate discipline. That’s like comparing Dalbec to Mark McGwire.
TFF – I think the comparisons come from the fact both players are both infielders and outfielders who are known for their speed and making great plays.
But yeah I totally agree, Rafaela isn’t anywhere near as good a hitter or fielder as Mookie was at that same point in his career.
Hahaha. Now that made me laugh out loud!!! Thanks! Dalbec v McGwire. Hahah
DBH – Little known fact, Ted Williams had a CAREER OBP of .482 which is absolutely wild …. he essentially reached base safely every other PA for his entire career!
Ted also missed three years in his prime for the war and the I believe he missed 1952 for the Korean War. He missed a total of 4 years 3 in his absolute prime when he was better than a 10 WAR player. He likely would have hit 130 or more homers and he did that as a dead pull hitter in Fenway imagine how many homers with the short porch in Yankee Stadium. The best hitter in the history of baseball for my money.
Bruin – Glad to see another Ted fan here! Yeah he definitely would have also gotten 3,000 hits if he hadn’t missed so much time serving the country. He was a remarkable man, also a HOF-caliber fisherman and pilot.
Might have been a better fisherman than a baseball player that’s saying something. He loved to fish and sounds like he was equally intense.
Read his book as a young Ladd as well. His eye site was truly amazing he set gunnery records as well with his 20/10 vision. Truly remarkable vision.
That was the right move.
And my theory is that moving to SS might help his hitting. If Cora tells him to catch every ball, and not worry if he doesn’t get any hits at all, maybe the stress he was feeling at the plate might dissipate. Making a nice play defensively makes your next AB a whole lot easier.
His BA will shoot up if he stops trying to pull every outside pitch.