Triston Casas revealed that he hoped to be back in action with the Boston Red Sox by July 2 to face his hometown Marlins.
His target return date has arrived and Casas isn't ready to put his uniform back on just yet, but there's a light at the end of the tunnel for his recovery. The first baseman has been officially cleared to swing a bat, and his manager shared that he has been back in the cage.
"It was up to 30 (swings) if I’m not mistaken. We’ll see where we’re at tomorrow. If he’s swinging, he’s swinging again tomorrow,” Alex Cora said to MassLive on June 29.
The Red Sox have taken Casas' recovery slowly, as they should — on the July 2 installment of NESN's "310 to Left" podcast, Casas said that doctors had a difficult time diagnosing his rib cartilage tear because it's a rare phenomenon in athletes that experience heavy rotational movements. But, in typical Casas fashion, he was optimistic about his return timetable from the start.
Red Sox don't expect Triston Casas back until after the All-Star break
The first baseman initially shared that he hoped to be ready to come off the injured list immediately when his 60-day stint ended on June 21, but the average recovery time for his injury can get up to nine weeks. Cora shared that they don't expect Casas to be able to play before the All-Star break, which runs from July 15-18 this year, and would fall on the high end of the average recovery time.
But Casas said on his podcast appearance that he won't have to modify his swing or change anything about his approach at the plate. The rib cartilage injury was a freak incident on one of thousands of aggressive swings he's made throughout his career. He feels great, and now his recovery is just about preparation.
After not swinging a bat for over two months, Casas will need some live BP and a rehab assignment before he can join his squad in the big leagues. If he's healthy enough to return right after the All-Star break, he could play against the Dodgers on July 19, but no return date is confirmed yet.