The Crimson Sox introduced Saturday morning that they’ve positioned first baseman Triston Casas on the 10-day injured record with a ruptured left patellar tendon. He suffered the injury throughout Friday night time’s sport. Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow says Casas could have surgical procedure and so they don’t count on him again this yr, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive.
To exchange Casas on the energetic roster, the group has chosen Abraham Toro’s contract from Triple-A Worcester. Boston had an open spot on the 40-man, so no additional corresponding transaction was vital. In a further roster transfer, the Crimson Sox reinstated Brennan Bernardino from the bereavement record and optioned Luis Guerrero to Triple-A.
The Casas information is terrible however unsurprising. He suffered an obvious damage Friday night time when he awkwardly hit the primary base bag whereas attempting to beat out a grounder. He was down on the bottom in clear ache for a very long time and ultimately was taken off the sphere on a stretcher. It appeared probably that he would miss an prolonged interval, and that’s now confirmed. He hasn’t but been moved to the 60-day IL, however that may occur at any time when the Sox want a 40-man spot.
The Sox must determine how one can substitute Casas at first base. Breslow says that each one choices are on the desk, and he didn’t rule out Rafael Devers taking on, although outfield prospect Roman Anthony or infield prospect Marcelo Mayer are unlikely to be moved to first.
Devers is presently the full-time designated hitter after Alex Bregman bumped him off third base. Shifting him to first base and opening the DH spot would assist the membership with some roster crunches elsewhere.
Anthony and Mayer are two of one of the best prospects in baseball, however each are presently in Triple-A and considerably blocked on the large league roster. The Sox presently have an outfield combine consisting of Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu, Ceddanne Rafaela and Rob Refsnyder. The infield has Bregman, Trevor Story and Kristian Campbell at third base, shortstop and second base, respectively. Outfielder/designated hitter Masataka Yoshida may additionally get into the combination, although he has been battling ongoing shoulder issues and his return timeline is unclear.
It’s a little bit of a crowded image with Devers within the DH spot. If he have been to take over at first base, that will open issues up and permit numerous gamers to rotate by way of the DH spot. Devers has no skilled expertise at first, however loads of subpar third basemen have moved throughout the diamond over time. Whereas Breslow appeared to go away the door open to the thought, supervisor Alex Cora downplayed the likelihood. “From my finish, proper now, no…. he’s my DH,” Cora stated, per Alex Speier of The Boston Globe.
For now, it looks like utility infielder Romy González would be the first try. Cora tells Speier that this is a chance for González “to exit and carry out.” Aside from Casas, he’s the one Boston participant to have performed first base this yr. He’s having an honest season, with a .279/.340/.419 batting line and 113 wRC+. Nonetheless, that comes with no residence runs and a .364 batting common on balls in play. In his 502 profession plate appearances, he has a .246/.277/.390 line and 81 wRC+.
That profession manufacturing could be lower than preferrred from first base, which is mostly a bat-first place, however the Sox will attempt it for now. Maybe they may discover some exterior choices within the coming weeks, trying to make a commerce or seize one other participant off waivers. Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe says Breslow is trying on the commerce market.
González had beforehand been in a multi-positional function, having additionally performed some second and third base this yr. In his profession, he has performed shortstop and the outfield as properly. With him set to develop into the membership’s common first baseman for now, Toro has been added so as to add some defensive versatility to the bench.
Toro, 28, signed a minor league take care of the Sox within the offseason. He has carried out properly in Triple-A this yr, with a .310/.403/.480 line, although a .392 BABIP is doing him some favors. He has performed the three non-shortstop infield positions and the outfield corners in his huge league profession. He has all the time hit properly in Triple-A however has a .220/.285/.353 line and 82 wRC+ in 1,298 huge league plate appearances.
