Yahoo Sports Red Sox activating 1B Triston Casas from injured list
Casas has been out since April due to a rib cage injury
The Boston Red Sox activated first baseman Triston Casas for Friday's matchup with the Baltimore Orioles, MassLive's Chris Cotillo reports.
Casas, 24, has been on the injured list since April 21 due to torn cartilage in his right rib cage. At the time, he was batting .244 with an .857 OPS, six home runs and 10 RBI in 90 plate appearances.
While Casas has been out, Dominic Smith got the majority of playing time at first base. He batted .237 with a .707 OPS, six home runs, 20 doubles and 34 RBI. Smith was designated for assignment to clear a spot for Casas on Boston's roster.
The Red Sox hope that Casas can make an immediate impact with his power. He batted third on Friday and went 1-for-5 with a run scored in Boston's 12–10 win.
Last season, Casas hit .263 with an .856 OPS, 21 doubles, 24 homers and 65 RBI in 502 plate appearances. He finished third in American League Rookie of the Year voting.
Crushed.
Destroyed.
Demolished. pic.twitter.com/nImFOWDKd8— Red Sox (@RedSox) April 13, 2024
Casas finished an 11-game rehab assignment with Triple-A Worcester on Thursday. In 47 plate appearances, he batted .300 with a .954 OPS, seven doubles, one home run and seven RBI.
He told the Boston Globe's Alex Speier that he was hoping to be pain-free when he returned to the major-league roster. However, he still feels pain when he makes contact with the ball but is able to recover between at-bats. The issue is when he hits foul balls and the pain still lingers.
"The pain doesn’t happen before contact, thankfully. It’s just at contact," said Casas. "The tough part is managing the pain in between the pitches — the foul balls, getting back into the box."
The Red Sox entered Friday's game in third place in the AL East with a 63–57 record, having lost six of their past eight games. Boston is 2.5 games out of the AL's final wild-card playoff spot.