The Boston Red Sox’s Opening Day roster competition is so tight that many fans haven’t given a second thought to recovering first baseman Triston Casas. In the backround of the spring training position battles, he’s inching toward a return to the big leagues.
Casas on May 2 ruptured a patellar tendon while running out a ground ball. The injury required surgery to repair and he missed the rest of the 2025 season as he healed. He won’t be healthy in time for Opening Day, but he recently gave reporters a better idea of when he may be ready to play.
Casas told Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic that he doesn’t yet know at which minor league level he’ll begin the rest of his rehab or if he’ll stay in Fort Myers for an extended spring training (subscription required). He also said he’s at about the 10 1/2 month mark of a 12-14 month rehab process, so it will likely be a few more weeks until he begins a rehab assignment.
The first baseman will need an entire 20-game rehab stint before he’s added to any roster — he’s been out of action for so long that there’s no debating that. Alex Cora believes he may be able to get Casas into some minor league games before spring training ends — Grapefruit League games are officially out of the question — but Casas isn’t so sure, since he’s still waiting on approval from doctors.
Red Sox haven’t told Triston Casas what his recovery plan is after spring training, but he’s hitting and lightly running
Casas has appeared in some minor league spring training games, but in a severely reduced capacity. He’s taken some at-bats, but doesn’t run the bases since he isn’t cleared for that activity yet. In a minor league spring training game on March 16, Casas ripped a double to left field, but only jogged to first base before returning to the dugout. At least his swing is in a good place.
Casas’ fit on the Red Sox’s 2026 roster is questionable, at best. Boston added a new first baseman, Willson Contreras, over the winter and it has four outfielders and Masataka Yoshida to cycle through the designated hitter role. Casas has minor league options remaining on his contract, so the Sox could keep him in Triple-A until they have a more obvious place for him in the major leagues.
Running seems to be one of the final steps toward Casas’ complete recovery. Videos have circulated of him playing defense at first and third base and jogging, suggesting he’s almost ready to progress.
