Last we heard of Triston Casas' return to the Red Sox, he was in Triple-A with the WooSox and making minor-league play look way too easy. Through 11 games in Worchester, he batted .300 with a .954 OPS on the way back from a rib injury. He did also share a worrying update — making contact with the ball made him feel like he was being stabbed — but he planned to keep going despite it.
Either that issue has figured itself out or Casas is being a real trooper, because Chris Cotillo reported that the Red Sox would be reactivating him for Friday night's game against the Orioles.
Casas' return might mean that Dom Smith, who had an incredible July and lent himself to one of the Sox social media team's funniest moments this season, might get nudged off the roster in order to give Casas his spot at first base back.
However, Boston needs something to push them forward through these last few weeks of the season and catch up to the Royals for the last Wild Card spot in the AL.
Red Sox Expected To Activate Triston Casas https://t.co/GvGVafWFxL pic.twitter.com/Glz3doTGpq
— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) August 16, 2024
Red Sox expected to activate Triston Casas after months long absence with a rib injury
Casas has been missing since April 27, after appearing in just 22 games. He was batting .244 with an .857 OPS and already had six homers and 10 RBI. The Sox picked up Smith right after he opted out of a minor league deal with the Rays, and he's been able to do a lot more than anyone expected as a stopgap, but he's cooled off in August and hasn't been much of a help as Boston is currently sitting on a losing record this month.
Boston is 2.5 games behind the Royals for the last AL Wild Card spot. They have an uphill battle to fight, but surpassing Kansas City isn't impossible, especially now that they'll have Casas' bat back in the lineup. While it's still slightly worrying that he may be playing through pain, it's unlikely the Sox would've brought him back if they were worried that major league action would exacerbate the problem.
Veteran pitcher Rich Hill is reportedly also on the way, so the Red Sox are still finding ways to stay in this fight and get themselves over the line for their first postseason appearance since 2021.