The Boston Red Sox have played without their star first baseman and biggest personality since April 20.
June 21 can't come soon enough for the Sox and their fans. Triston Casas has been on the 60-day injured list for over a month, and the mid-June date is the target for his return. Casas has shared optimistic updates about his recovery from the rib injury, and his manager has corroborated some of his statements.
The first baseman recently suggested his return to the team could be later than he initially hoped, just days after Cora said he was "progressing fast."
Casas told WEEI.com that his ribcage is still "sensitive to the touch," which isn't ideal when it comes to recovery and taking part in baseball activities. He said that the sensitivity needs to dissipate before he can increase his rehab process.
Triston Casas still reports pain in ribcage, still no definite date for Red Sox return
Casas' doctor also said that he had never seen such an injury on a "rotational athlete" before and that his rib cartilage issues are more consistent with contact sport or car crash injuries. The rarity of his injury in a baseball setting has made it difficult to calculate an accurate recovery time.
The 24-year-old said that rotational movement puts mild strain on the injury — he's been participating in all baseball activities besides swinging a bat, which is his biggest strength and the Red Sox's most desperate need. He's still "on pace" to return on or around June 21, but Casas knows that rushing his recovery could do more harm than good.
"We want to make sure we get a good base of a lot of rotational exercises before I start to swing."
— NESN (@NESN) May 30, 2024
Triston Casas says he is on pace to make his 8-10 week return target. pic.twitter.com/cLxzdKSqjD
“In the meantime, I’m just trying to strengthen the area around it while the initial injury is still recovering. That’s the battle. The medicine for this is rest. It’s no movement," Casas said. "So it’s tough because I’m still trying to stay strong but the more that I move the longer it’s going to take to heal. That’s the most difficult type of injury or recovery."
The Red Sox haven't announced a return date for Casas yet, likely due to the complexity of the injury he's battling. Remaining sedentary clearly isn't the first baseman's specialty, as he's been recorded taking phantom swings in Boston's dugout and fielding ground balls.
June 21 is just three weeks away, and there's still no certainty that Casas will be ready to play by then. He still has to start swinging a bat and go on rehab assignment. Regardless, it's good to see him up and moving, inching toward recovery. But it's looking like he won't be back until July, if we were to guess.