Latest Red Sox roster moves leave Triston Casas in AAA…what now?
By John Hynes
To say the last couple of months have been a struggle for the Boston Red Sox would be a huge understatement. Since the start of June, Boston has posted a disappointing 17-29 record that has greatly diminished their Wild Card hopes as they sit 6.0 GB in the race.
Within this two month skid, the injury bug made its way to Fenway. Key contributors such as Nathan Eovaldi, Michael Wacha, Trevor Story, and even more beyond that have been sidelined at one point or another within this stretch.
More recently, newly acquired first baseman Eric Hosmer was added to the 10-day injured list on Tuesday due to lower-back inflammation. Opening the door for the Red Sox’ no. 2 prospect Triston Casas to make his debut.
Boston Red Sox valued prospect Triston Casas remains in Worcester despite fans clamoring for his call-up
Casas has caught fire since his return after a 2-month stint on the injured list. This hot streak, along with the Hosmer injury, has Sox Nation begging for Casas to get the call to the big leagues as Tuesday marks the first day he can be elevated and still maintain rookie status for next season.
With the new CBA rules, this could score chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom another draft pick as Christopher Smith of Masslive.com explained.
Despite the stars aligning for a highly anticipated debut, fans like myself were left disappointed after Tuesday’s roster moves. Hosmer and Eovaldi were moved to the IL, replaced with starting pitcher Josh Winckowski and none other than Franchy Cordero.
Putting it lightly, Franchy Cordero has been abysmal in 2022 both offensively and defensively. Batting .222 with a -0.3 WAR, Cordero has been a weak link on the Boston Red Sox especially with platoon mate Bobby Dalbec dealing with a down year as well.
The Hosmer acquisition paired with the emergence of Casas was seemingly Bloom’s plan to address this deficiency. However, even with the Hosmer injury Casas is still left waiting for the call. Manager Alex Cora gave insight to the decision via Alex Speier of the Boston Globe.
"He hasn’t played this year. He didn’t play last year. That’s the way I see it. He’s still developing. That’s my opinion…We haven’t talked about (calling him up) recently."
In an eye-opening quote, Cora drops a bomb on Boston Red Sox fans, making it seem like a Casas call-up wasn’t even considered when most thought it was close to a sure thing. After a season and off-season full of puzzling moves, this is the latest head-scratcher out of the Red Sox’ front office.
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With the season on the brink of being a lost cause, along with first base being a pertinent weakness on this team, why not give the kid a shot? Do we really trust Cordero? Do we really think Casas is not ready?
Even if not, with a veteran like Hosmer in the clubhouse to provide guidance along with a season that doesn’t hold many high aspirations anyway, it could be valuable to get Casas the head-start on reps and experience in the major leagues.
There has been a lot of questionable behavior from Boston Red Sox higher-ups this season that leaves the future flooded with uncertainty. With cornerstone stars Rafael Devers and Xander Bogaerts still facing unsettled contracts, it is hard to get a grasp on what the roster construction will look like as soon as next season.
dark. Next. Red Sox hanging on by slimmest of margins
Bloom has shown fans a lack of direction for the club going forward. Whether that be what their long-term solution at first base is or what franchise players will even be here in coming years, Bloom needs to prove there is a real plan in place regarding the future of Fenway.