Boston Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas is gearing up for a full season of baseball in 2025 after missing nearly 100 games last year due to torn cartilage in his rib cage.
Despite being the subject of constant trade rumors this offseason, Casas will have the starting job at first base come Opening Day unless something crazy happens with the third base position battle between Rafael Devers and Alex Bregman.
Casas is full of confidence entering the new campaign. Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow referenced Casas' ability to hit 40 homers and drive in 120 runs throughout the winter — a sweeping statement considering he only has 42 homers and 109 RBI in his career. However, the first baseman recently said that those numbers aren't some high-water mark; rather, they're his expectation.
"I think that is the expectation for the first baseman of the Boston Red Sox. I think if I’m not able to do that, then I don’t deserve a job here," Casas said to Alex Speier of The Boston Globe (subscription required). “I don’t feel that’s out of my reach. I feel like that’s something that’s very possible for me to accomplish."
Triston Casas has lofty goals for his 2025 season with the Red Sox
Obviously, 40 homers and 120 RBI are both extremely high benchmarks. Only four players hit 40 or more homers last year and only two drove in 120 or more runs. Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani were the only players in both clubs in 2024, so that's some pretty rarified air.
Casas did show real promise in his rookie season, putting up an .856 OPS with 24 homers and 65 RBIs in 132 games. His peripheral stats were also excellent, with his average exit velocity, hard-hit percentage, barrel rate and expected slugging all ranking in the 77th percentile or higher.
However, those numbers are going to have to get a lot better than that if he wants to be in the same category as Judge and Ohtani. Moreover, he'll have to stay healthy, which was a concern last year. Casas acknowledged the importance of durability in his interview with Speier.
"I’ve put in plenty of work to be able to go out there and accomplish it, but it’s just a matter of staying healthy and being out there on the field for, say, 150-plus games," he said.
If he does stay healthy, there's no reason he can't put up big numbers. Maybe not 40 homers and 120 RBI, but you never know.