Red Sox rumors: Triston Casas, Frank German likely to debut in September
Triston Casas among top prospects rumored to get spot on Red Sox expanded roster
Somehow, it’s September, and the Boston Red Sox have to decide which players they’ll add to their expanded rosters for the remainder of the regular season.
According to Joe McDonald of the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, the initial call-ups from Triple-A will likely be catcher Connor Wong and reliever Eduard Bazardo.
Both Wong and Bazardo already have some major-league experience, with both making brief debuts in 2021. Bazardo pitched well in his two relief appearances (including one game finished) for the big-league club, only allowed one hit over three shutout innings, with a trio of strikeouts. Wong has11 games of big-league experience since his June 2021 debut, and is 6-for-21 with a double, triple, three runs scored, two RBI, and nine strikeouts.
Bazardo would be the third pitcher called up this week to join an absolutely terrifying (and not in a good way) bullpen. Wong would be the third catcher on the roster, but he’s been tearing the cover off the ball in Triple-A recently, and the Sox could use a fresh bat.
While fans will surely be disappointed not to see Triston Casas’ name included in the latest rumor, McDonald also noted that he and Frank German “will likely get the call too.”
McDonald’s tips echo what Sox manager Alex Cora said earlier this week about Casas now being considered for a September debut. Calling into WEEI’s Merloni, Fauria, and Mego on Wednesday, Cora had a more promising update on a potential Casas debut after previous nixing the idea:
"“He’s one of the names that we have discussed. … I’m not saying it’s tomorrow or in two weeks, but I do believe there’s a chance he’ll be part of this in September.”"
It’s worth noting that Gunnar Henderson, the top infield prospect called up by the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday, has played fewer games at Triple-a than Casas this season. Of course, the O’s have a legitimate shot to steal a Wild Card this month; the Sox look pretty out of it.
Whether that means more struggling big-leaguers are getting DFA’ed or optioned to clear roster spots, it’s still a rare bit of good news in an otherwise disappointing season. The Sox could DFA Jeurys Familia and/or Ryan Brasier to make room for German on the roster and in the bullpen. With Eric Hosmer still on the Injured List, it makes sense to give Casas a shot now that it’s deep enough in the season for him to retain his rookie eligibility for 2023.
The Sox are far enough out of the Wild Card race that while they haven’t been mathematically eliminated yet, it’s fair to say that this isn’t their year. Since that’s the case, it’s time to get proactive and use the remaining games to figure out which prospects can factor into next year’s plans.
Update: Connor Wong, Eduard Bazardo added to Red Sox September expanded roster
Chris Cotillo of MassLive confirms that Wong and Bazardo are the two players being added to the Red Sox roster ahead of Thursday night’s series opener versus the Texas Rangers at Fenway.
