The Boston Red Sox's first baseman Triston Casas has been characteristically optimistic about his rib injury.
The 24-year-old was placed on the 10-day injured list on April 21 before being transferred to the 60-day a week later. Even after experiencing what his doctors described to him as "a car crash" inside his body, Casas has been itching to get back into action.
Luckily for Boston, Alex Cora offered a promising update about Casas' recovery. The manager said his first baseman is "progressing fast," and the team hopes to add to the list of baseball activities in which he can participate.
The swiftness of Casas' recovery is great news for the Red Sox. Shortly after his injury, Casas said he struggled to breathe and couldn't fill his lungs to capacity without pain. By mid-May, he was lifting weights, throwing and feeling good.
Triston Casas is "progressing fast" toward his Red Sox return
Triston Casas taking grounders for the first time since his injury. pic.twitter.com/i4Ig6FaiHY
— Pete Abraham (@PeteAbe) May 24, 2024
Casas said his goal is to return to action the first day he's eligible, which would be June 21. If he does return that day, his first game would be the opener of a three-game series against the Reds in Cincinnati.
The Red Sox have gotten through the first month without Casas, but it wasn't without issues. Boston's bats stalled throughout mid-May and his production would have served his squad well. The Sox fell off the league home run leaderboard and struggled with runners in scoring position.
There's still about a month before Casas is eligible to return to play. Until then, Garrett Cooper and Dominic Smith will continue to platoon at first and he'll have to continue his visualization exercises from the dugout.