BOSTON — Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow confirmed what had been assumed Saturday: first baseman Triston Casas will miss the rest of the season after suffering a serious knee injury Friday night.
Casas suffered a rupture of the patellar tendon in his left knee and will require surgery, Breslow said. An exact timetable for his return is unknown but the road to recovery is expected to be a long one.
“We’re still collecting information,” Breslow said. “We don’t anticipate him returning this season.”
Casas was stretchered off the Fenway Park field Friday night after hurting his knee while awkwardly trying to avoid a collision at first base with Minnesota’s Ty France. He was taken by ambulance to an area hospital, where he remains.
“It’s a big loss,” Breslow said. “In addition to what we think we were gonna get on the offensive side, he was a stabilizing presence and made some nice plays in the field. Also, a big personality and a big part of the clubhouse and the team. He’s going to be missed in all facets.”
In a phone conversation with Cora last night, Casas said that he felt his knee buckle before hitting the first base bag Friday night. Immediately, the Red Sox and Casas knew the injury was a significant one. Imaging revealed that the patellar rupture is the only injury and that ligaments are intact.
“That’s what the diagnosis is,” Breslow said. “He had pretty comprehensive imaging to make sure there wasn’t anything else going on. That’s where we are.”
Casas’ latest setback marks his second significant injury in as many years. In April 2024, he tore cartilage in his rib cage and missed nearly four months as he recovered. His 2025 season will end after just 29 games and 112 plate appearances. The 25-year-old never got it going at the plate, hitting just .182 with three homers, 11 RBIs and a .580 OPS. He has been limited to a total 92 games over the last two seasons.
“It’s tough,” said Breslow. “You feel for Triston given what he has been through the last few years here. It seems like these injuries, they pop up in unconventional ways. Unfortunately, this is a serious one that’s going to keep him out for a long time.
“He certainly struggled through the first month or so of the season but that didn’t change what we believed his production was capable of being,” Breslow added.
With Casas out, the Red Sox will turn, immediately, to a platoon of utility men Romy Gonzalez and Abraham Toro at the first base position. Breslow said he doesn’t envision moving either of Boston’s top two prospects (Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer) to first base and Cora downplayed the idea of designated hitter Rafael Devers taking grounders at the position.
“It just happened yesterday,” Cora said. “We’ll talk and we’ll see where we’re at. But I think Romy and Toro, they can do the job. I truly believe that, so we’re gonna roll with them.”
Boston will also scour the free agent and trade markets for solutions. A year ago when Casas was injured, Breslow struck quickly to fill the hole, acquiring Garrett Cooper in a minor trade with the Cubs and signing Dom Smith after he opted out of a minor league deal with Tampa Bay.
“We obviously started this, this last offseason, trying to be aggressive in putting a competitive team on the field,” Breslow said. “This is unfortunately an opportunity to explore what is available. We’ll look both internally and potentially externally as well.
For now, though, the Red Sox are left picking up the pieces of a shocking, devastating injury to one of their most talented young players and rallying together to support him as he awaits surgery.
“The kid, he enjoys this,” Cora said. “He likes showing up early. We hate that but he loves it. He enjoys cleaning those shoes and staying here until late. He loves baseball. This is what makes him feel comfortable. Right now, he’s not gonna have it for a while but knowing him, knowing his family and knowing the support system that he has, he’s going to be back and he’s going to be good again.
“These guys, they work so hard to post, to have big seasons and all that. He did an outstanding job in the offseason to put himself in that situation. Didn’t start the way he wanted to but he was going to play and play a lot. Now, we have to focus on the rehab after the surgery. Hopefully, get him back stronger than ever and ready to go next year.”