Following the season-ending knee injury to first baseman Triston Casas, the Red Sox have a gaping hole at that position. With Boston still hopeful about the playoffs with a .500 record, Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow is now faced with the urgent task of finding a capable replacement. Luckily, a former Red Sox player who has experience at first base, who is off to a hot start with the Philadelphia Phillies, could provide some pop to the middle of the order: Kyle Schwarber.
While his first stint with the Red Sox was brief, 41 games to be exact, it was productive. Acquired at the 2021 trade deadline, Kyle hit seven home runs and drove in 18 runs while batting .291 per MLB.com. His production continued in the playoffs as he hit three home runs, including a grand slam in Game 3 of the ALCS against the Houston Astros.
Schwarber is off to a hot start with the Philadelphia Phillies this season. In the final year of his four-year, $79 million contract, he has hit 12 home runs and has driven in 28 runs in 36 games.
While Kyle’s bat can be elite, his fielding is far from it. Although he played first base in 19 games for the Sox, he has played left field and designated hitter for the majority of his career, two positions in which the Red Sox already have all-star players (Jarren Duran and Rafael Devers). His defensive shortcomings may be a poor fit for a team that already doesn’t excel in the field.
That being said, Kyle’s productive start is hard to ignore. If the Phillies, who are contenders themselves, decide to sell, Schwarber could be on the trading block. When the Red Sox acquired Schwarber ahead of the 2021 trade deadline, they gave up their 19th-ranked prospect, Aldo Ramirez. A similar prospect could be enough again, especially when you take into account Schwarber’s age–he will be 33 next season–and the fact that he is in the final year of his contract.
The injury to Triston Casas was a huge loss for a Red Sox team that came into the season with playoff aspirations. And after failing to add depth at the position during the offseason, Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow is left scrambling to get a serviceable replacement at first base for the rest of the season. While Kyle is not the perfect option at first base, he brings a power bat with postseason experience and could help propel the Red Sox to their first postseason appearance since 2021.