It doesn't seem like there are many questions Triston Casas won't answer. He didn't even need prompting to tell the story of his father's arrest at one of his childhood baseball games.
On Feb. 18, the Boston Red Sox first baseman was asked his thoughts about a potential position change for Rafael Devers. He ruffled some fans' feathers by saying he believes Devers should remain at third base even after Boston acquired Alex Bregman. He issued another controversial statement in the same presser.
Reporters asked Casas if he believes the Sox's "Big Three" prospects — Roman Anthony, Kristian Campbell, Marcelo Mayer — should make the Opening Day roster. Like Devers when he refused a potential move to full-time designated hitter, Casas did not mince words.
“No. I think we’ve got some grown men up there right now that need to iron some things out. We need to show up and see what that first little taste of us altogether looks like," Casas said. "I think their time is going to come. And it could be earlier rather than later. But I think, for right now, the roster is beautiful. It’s organized great. And it’s structured really well.”
Considering the Red Sox don't know how their infield alignment will look on March 27, Casas saying the lineup is "structured really well" is a stretch. The roster could be structured well with the correct decisions during spring training, and in the first baseman's mind, that would include keeping Boston's Big Three in the minor leagues to start the season.
Triston Casas believes Red Sox top prospects don't need to make Opening Day roster
Casas was asked if he believes Anthony, Campbell and Mayer, or any number of the three, should make the roster on Opening Day, not whether they should stay in Triple-A for another entire season. Casas' willingness to answer questions honestly — sometimes too honestly — is jarring to some fans, but the Big Three prospects were never guaranteed a spot on the Opening Day roster, and the Sox signing Bregman cut the infield prospects' chances anyway.
Sox manager Alex Cora has stated on multiple occasions that the best 26 players at camp will make the Opening Day roster, as they should. Anthony and Campbell could be among them with great spring training performances (Mayer is unlikely to crack the 26-man roster since he's still never played in Triple-A) but they're still just 20 and 22 years old.
Anthony and Campbell have a lineup of established big leaguers to compete with for roster spots. The outfield is packed with Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu, Rob Refsnyder and Masataka Yoshida, and the Red Sox's middle-infield logjam is well-established, especially after the Bregman signing.
Both prospects had outstanding seasons in the minor leagues last year, and if they can maintain that level of success, they could make the roster. But even if they don't, it's safe to say Casas' comments won't have any effect on the decision.