Red Sox surprise fans with Triston Casas update after last week's bad news

The Boston Red Sox last week gave an unfortunate update about Triston Casas' rib injury recovery progress. On July 19, Red Sox manager Alex Cora shared that Casas was "far" from a rehab assignment.

But early in the week of July 21, Cora reported that the first baseman "[turned] a corner," and could be on his way back to action soon. Boston's chief baseball officer Craig Breslow confirmed the positive shift on WEEI's "The Greg Hill Show" on July 25.

“He's made quite a bit of progress over the last week or so, where he's taking swings at full intensity and taking full batting practice,” Breslow said. “So, I think he could find himself in rehab games pretty quickly, as quickly as potentially even the end of this week, which is a great turnaround from where we were at the timeline we were talking about a few weeks ago."

The dramatic change in Casas' progression is the most positive update the Sox have given on his rehab, but Breslow made sure to keep fans' expectations realistic. He said there are some lingering "feelings and tolerance" the first baseman still needs to work through before he can get back to big league action.

Craig Breslow says Triston Casas nears final step toward Red Sox return, could begin rehab assignment this week

Casas' rehab has been a rollercoaster of emotions for Red Sox Nation. The slugger initially reported that he hoped to return to the roster on June 21, the day he was eligible to be removed from the 60-day injured list. But the nature of his injury forced his return date back a few times — it transitioned to July 1, then after the All-Star break, and after Cora's update that he was "far" from a rehab assignment, many believed the Sox wouldn't see Casas again until September.

The first baseman will likely need a long rehab assignment before he's ready to get back to swinging at big-league pitching. Twenty days is the maximum number allowed for rehab stints, and if his assignment begins at the end of this week as Breslow proposed, Casas could be back by mid-August.

He could be back just in time for a postseason push in one of the toughest stretches in the Red Sox's schedule. Casas and any trade deadline additions the front office makes may be Boston's best hope for a playoff spot.

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