The Boston Red Sox knew they would enter the 2026 season without first baseman Triston Casas due to the severity of the patellar tendon rupture he experienced in May 2025. They signed Willson Contreras to be their primary first baseman, but said he'll serve as the designated hitter sometimes, keeping chances open for Casas at the corner.
Boston doesn't expect Casas to be ready to take the field until early May, as it usually takes about a year to recover from the knee injury he sustained. Still, in a spring training media availability, Alex Cora expressed excitement over parts of his recovery process.
"I think Triston is limited in certain things, but he's actually moving really well," Cora said. "We have to make sure the workload is consistent with the rehab, but he's moving really, really well."
Triston Casas 'moving really well' at Red Sox spring training as recovery from knee injury continues
Videos of Casas' recovery and workouts have circulated throughout the offseason and early in spring training — fans have seen him in the cages and on the field working on his defense. He's never been an elite defender, but he looks spry on the dirt in the latest videos of his progress.
There are no reports that Boston's estimate for Casas' 2026 debut has changed, but Cora's comments suggest he's recovering well. The Red Sox may expect him to be a crucial source of power on the team and a timely return could be great for their home run numbers, which were low in the wake of the Rafael Devers trade last season.
Red Sox have shut Romy Gonzalez down from baseball activities
On a less fortunate note, Romy Gonzalez's recovery doesn't seem to be going as well. The utility player sustained a left shoulder injury late last season and his participation at spring training has been severely limited, if not nonexistent.
Gonzalez has been shut down from baseball activities and he's only played catch so far this spring. His 2026 debut will likely be after Opening Day, despite previous reports that the Sox hoped he'd be ready by their first series at Great American Ballpark.
Thankfully, the Red Sox acquired four outfielders (Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Caleb Durbin, Andruw Monasterio and Anthony Seigler) in the final days before spring training to take Gonzalez's place on the roster if needed, but having him healthy would've been a huge boost to the team after his breakout season last year. He batted .305/.343/.483 with an .826 OPS over 96 games and dominated against left handers last season — Gonzalez won't be easily replaced on the Sox's lineup, but hopefully he won't need to be for long.
Red Sox's Kutter Crawford slightly behind in his recovery from wrist subsheath tear
Kutter Crawford spent the entirety of the 2026 season on the injured list with knee and wrist issues. He's still recovering from the wrist injury, a subsheath tear, for which he needed surgery.
Crawford is still behind in his recovery, as he's only thrown bullpen sessions, as opposed to live batting practice. He was partially delayed by a bout with the flu earlier this spring, an annual battle when teams reunite every February. The Red Sox have placed his estimated return date in April.