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Triston Casas’ struggles to start 2025 are becoming a problem. Through 12 games, the Red Sox first baseman is hitting just .174, with 8 hits in 46 at-bats. He’s walked five times but struck out 15, and the power that the Red Sox would emerge this season has been nowhere to be found. Casas has just one home run and four RBI, posting an uninspiring .240 on-base percentage and an ugly .283 slugging percentage for a .523 OPS. He’s been sat against lefties several times, including yesterday against Chicago White Sox starter Martin Perez.
Manager Alex Cora made a move before Sunday’s game, sliding Casas back to sixth in the order. Casas had been batting cleanup for much of the early season, but the production just hasn’t justified him staying in that spot. Hitting lower should, in theory, give him better matchups and a chance to reset.
“Triston put some good swings two nights ago but I felt like today was a good day to have this configuration,” manager Cora told Chris Cotillo of MassLive.
The concerns aren’t just about the results, but the way he’s getting there. Casas looks out of sync at the plate. He’s been late on fastballs, rolling over off-speed stuff, and hasn’t consistently squared the ball up. Pitchers have attacked him with elevated velocity early in counts, and once they get ahead, they’ve been burying him with breaking pitches. Casas also can’t hide behind the sabermetrics that many have used to illustrate his potential. His chase rate is up, and even when he’s getting pitches in the zone, the quality of contact has been poor.
He’s yet to record an extra-base hit off a left-hander this year and continues to look uncomfortable in those situations, as has the entire team. In their seven losses, Boston has managed just a .115 average (9-for-78) with RISP as a team.
Despite offseason trade rumors and his refusal to sign an extension, the Red Sox don’t seem close to giving up on him. But they also need production to start coming from first base. Casas needs to start showing signs that he can be a reliable MLB regular before the spotlight gets even brighter.
Jay Pritchard Covers the Boston Red Sox, Major League Baseball, and sports media for Heavy.com. More about Jay Pritchard
