The Boston Red Sox were dealt a major loss on Friday night as part of their 6-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins (box score). First baseman Triston Casas suffered what manager Alex Cora later described as a “significant knee injury” after landing awkwardly on the bag during the second inning. Casas, who was carted off the field, had been attempting to leg out an infield single.
“He put so much effort in the offseason. I know how he works,” Cora said after the game. “Everything he went through in the offseason getting ready for this. He was looking forward to having a big season for us. It didn’t start the way he wanted, but he kept grinding, kept working. And now this happened.”
The exact nature of Casas’ injury is unknown, and so is any estimate on his recovery timetable. Still, Cora’s post-game comments suggest the Red Sox will have to conduct their business for at least some time without their regular first baseman.
Although Casas, 25, had started this season in slow fashion, he’s been a productive hitter throughout his big-league career. Indeed, he entered Friday’s contest having averaged a 118 OPS+ and 29 home runs per 162 games. His presence in the Red Sox lineup is sure to be missed. Alas, this is the nature of professional sports: a player suffers an injury and the team must adjust.
Who might the Red Sox turn to in order to fill Casas’ cleats at the cold corner? Early indications suggest Abraham Toro, a 28-year-old veteran with a career 80 OPS+, will get the call to fill Casas’ roster spot on Saturday. Below, though, we’ve highlighted five options — including a few external ones — who might be considered or factored into the equation over the coming weeks.
1. Romy González, Red Sox
González benefits from offering the least friction of anyone presented in this article. Not only is he already on the active roster, but to date, he’s earned the nod at first base every time the Red Sox have been opposed by a lefty starter. González has fared well in those assignments, too, batting .275/.341/.400 (109 OPS+) with five doubles. Of course, there’s often a good reason for why teams deploy productive hitters in limited roles. In González’s case, his struggles with breaking balls have hampered his ability to offer much against righty pitchers. (He’s posted a .551 OPS in his big-league career without the platoon advantage.) The Red Sox seem to know what González can and cannot do, suggesting they’ll view him as part of the answer — just not the entirety of it.
2. Vaughn Grissom, Red Sox’s Triple-A affiliate
Grissom isn’t the Worcester hitter most people will think about in response to Casas’ injury. Nevertheless, he has a few things working in his favor, including already having a spot on the 40-player roster as well as experience in the majors and at first base. Grissom has hit .289/.373/.452 so far this season, albeit with an ugly 11-to-25 walk-to-strikeout ratio. He’s mostly disappointed since his promising 2022 debut, but he’s only 24 years old and the Red Sox should figure out if he has a future on the big-league roster before he enters next spring without a minor-league option.
3. Roman Anthony, Red Sox’s Triple-A affiliate
You knew Anthony’s name had to come up at some point. He entered the spring ranked by CBS Sports as the best prospect in the minor leagues, and he’s since hit .292/.417/.521 with five home runs, two stolen bases, and nearly as many walks (22) as strikeouts (26) at Triple-A Worcester. The Red Sox have been adamant about deploying Anthony exclusively in the outfield, however, meaning they would either have to change course with him or relocate other parts of their lineup to clear space in the outfield for him. Add in how Anthony is not yet on the 40-player roster, and he seems unlikely to be the initial internal solution the Red Sox throw at this problem.
We’re now moving to the external candidate portion of the article. Be warned: the following names are not going to impress you since, in both cases, they’re veterans stationed with someone else’s Triple-A affiliate. Usually, teams are willing to accommodate these types if another team has a spot for them on the big-league roster — either as a gesture of good faith or in response to the player possessing an upward mobility clause.
That may not result in exciting daydreams, but that’s the reality of the situation: clubs don’t start to engage in talks concerning more meaningful players until later in this month, if even that early. Maybe you could argue that the Miami Marlins would sell high on Matt Mervis, or that the Baltimore Orioles are that eager to shed Ryan Mountcastle. We’re sticking with realism here.
4. Jon Singleton, Mets’ Triple-A affiliate
Singleton would seem to mostly fit the Red Sox’s needs: he’s a lefty hitter who produced league-average offense last year in a platoon role with the Houston Astros. He’s notched a .270/.426/.568 line with seven home runs and nearly as many walks as strikeouts over the course of 23 Triple-A games to date. He’s certainly not going to leapfrog Pete Alonso anytime soon. One has to imagine the Mets would be willing to ship him to Boston if the Red Sox show interest.
5. Mike Ford, Twins’ Triple-A affiliate
Again, a no-frills veteran option. Ford has hit .233/.347/.477 to begin this season in the minors — marks that are superior to those put up by Dominic Smith and Trey Mancini, among other options. As an added bonus, he’s not too far removed from a shockingly effective 2023 campaign that saw him post a 123 OPS+ in 251 plate appearances with the Seattle Mariners. The Twins wouldn’t appear to have reason to stand in his way if the Red Sox wanted to add him.