Ever since he got the call-up to the Boston Red Sox in 2022, Triston Casas has been known for his quirky habits.
Few reporters or fans expected to see the 6-foot-4 first baseman sunbathing and doing yoga on the field before games. Still, Casas embraces his routine and continues it — while healthy, of course — despite criticism from some sticks in the mud.
Casas has been bench-bound with torn cartilage around his ribs and the slugger was added to the 60-day injured list after his diagnosis. He's only halfway through his IL stint, and Casas is bored without baseball in his routine. Any player who loves the sport would be.
He recently caught heat on social media for taking phantom swings in the dugout as his teammates played. Red Sox and Yankee fans alike took jabs at Casas in the comments, and a podcast host even called him "annoying" to the other players. Yet, a video of Shohei Ohtani doing something similar generated entirely different comments.
Alex Cora said Triston Casas wanted to stay in baseball shape. He’s still about a month away from being eligible to return from the 60-day IL, but he’s been in the back of the dugout locked in on the timing of just about every pitch tonight…keeping things sharp @NESN pic.twitter.com/KWvM5cGU1h
— Jahmai Webster (@WebsterOnTV) May 15, 2024
Later in the same series, another video of Casas circulated on social media — from the bullpen this time. The first baseman stood at the plate as baseballs were fired in his direction with a pitching machine. His eye is one of his offensive strengths, and visualization practice is key to his success.
Casas' practice works. The outstanding second half of his 2023 season earned him American League Rookie of the Year consideration. He hit six homers in his 22 games before his rib injury. His eye is impeccable, almost to a fault — he's been rung up on balls outside the zone multiple times in the early part of the campaign.
Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas ruffles feathers with his routines and personality
It feels like every day Casas' visualization steps up a notch. #RedSox pic.twitter.com/7I1JUhoXwp
— NESN (@NESN) May 16, 2024
The same people coming for Casas for trying to stay loose are the same ones who'd accuse him of not caring if he sat in the dugout with his sweatshirt on every day. Something about Casas' personality rubs certain people the wrong way, and that's their own issue.
The Red Sox and many of their fans have embraced Casas for the person he is. The team gave away a bobblehead of the 24-year-old doing yoga featuring painted fingernails. The team also interviewed him while he got a manicure at a local salon, during which he admitted to not caring about other people's opinions.
More athletes are growing less afraid of being themselves. From painted nails to chains to bat flips and expressing emotion, sports are changing for the better by accepting diversity and individuality. If fans can't accept Casas for his personality, routines and interests, that's on them. He already said he isn't listening to their opinions, anyway.