First base has been something of a mess for the Boston Red Sox this season. Triston Casas was the Opening Day answer at the cold corner, though he slashed .182/.277/.303 (56 wRC+) before going down with a season-ending knee injury.
Since, many players have been tasked with filling his shoes, namely Abraham Toro and Romy Gonzalez. And while Gonzalez has settled into a productive niche role against left-handed pitchers, Toro has been a mess in recent months, posting a 55 wRC+ in July and an eye-melting -1 wRC+ in August.
Luckily, the Red Sox did sign former World Series champion Nathaniel Lowe, and it's safe to say his Red Sox career is off to a solid start.
Nevertheless, Lowe is a 30-year-old in the midst of the worst season of his career, and his contract only spans the rest of the 2025 season, plus an expensive arbitration year in 2026 (if the Red Sox even bother tendering him a contract). Boston still needs a long-term answer at first base, and unless Kristian Campbell reemerges from the minor leagues with renewed confidence at the plate and in the field, Casas is the only reliable option currently on the roster.
Luckily, Casas shared an update on his recovery with Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe, and it sounds like the Red Sox's 2026 Opening Day first baseman will be the same player as their 2025 Opening Day first baseman.
Triston Casas promises Red Sox fans that he will be ready for Opening Day 2026
“My goal is to be ready for Opening Day and to play first base,” Casas said to Abraham. “I’m going to do everything I can to get there.”
In his write-up, Abraham also noted that Casas was walking through the team's clubhouse without issue, noting that "he did not have any sort of brace on his surgically repaired left knee, not even a compression sleeve."
It's a good sign that Casas remains involved in the day-to-day activities of the organization, a testament to his growing leadership skills. The 2025 season hardly went to plan for Casas even before the injury, but if he's attacking his rehab as aggressively as it sounds, then the Red Sox may be able to adjust their offseason plans at first base.
Prior to this season, Casas slashed .250/.357/.473 with 42 home runs across his 222 games of MLB action from 2022-24. His 125 wRC+ in that span trailed only Rafael Devers on the team, and his 2023 campaign (131 wRC+, 2.2 bWAR, third-place finish in AL Rookie of the Year voting) remains his hallmark performance.
Injuries have become a problem for Casas, as he missed nearly 100 games last year with a rib injury before managing just 29 appearances prior to his knee injury this season. Still, if he can prove to the front office that he's ready to go for the 2026 campaign, he could enter spring training as the odds-on favorite to be the starting first baseman once again.