The Boston Red Sox will look to improve the team via trades ahead of Tuesday's deadline, but one of their biggest additions may come from within the organization.
First baseman Triston Casas hasn't played since April 20 due to torn cartilage in his rib cage. The original plan was for him to return on July 1, but his recovery took longer than anticipated.
Since then, updates on Casas' status have been vague. While one report suggested his return could be delayed until September, manager Alex Cora noted the 24-year-old was "turning a corner" from his injury.
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On Thursday, Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow offered some clarity with an encouraging update.
“He's made quite a bit of progress over the last week or so, where he's taking swings at full intensity and taking full batting practice,” Breslow told The Greg Hill Show on Audacy's WEEI 93.7. “So, I think he could find himself in rehab games pretty quickly, as quickly as potentially even the end of this week, which is a great turnaround from where we were at the timeline we were talking about a few weeks ago.
“I think we've all talked, Alex and I, about the sensitive nature of this rehab in that there are some feelings and tolerance that Triston needs to work through, but we've been really, really excited about the last week or so and hope to see him in rehab games here shortly.”
Casas hit .244 with six home runs, 10 RBI, and an .857 OPS through 22 games before his injury. Dom Smith has served as his replacement at first base, hitting .232 with five homers, 30 RBI, and a .697 OPS in 66 games.
Getting Casas' bat back in the lineup would go a long way toward helping Boston clinch a playoff spot. As of Thursday, the club is only one game back in the American League Wild Card race and six back in the AL East with 61 games left to play.
The Red Sox have four games before Tuesday's trade deadline. After being swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers and losing two out of three to the Colorado Rockies, they'll look to get back on track Friday night when they start a three-game set against the New York Yankees at Fenway Park.