Red Sox Rookie Upset Teammates by Sunbathing Shirtless at Fenway Park

Boston Red Sox veteran teammates did not all take kindly to rookie first baseman and top prospect Triston Casas' pregame routine in his Major League Baseball debut, which included sunbathing shirtless in the outfield of Fenway Park and napping in front of his locker an hour before first pitch, Chris Cotillo reports.

Boston Red Sox rookie Triston Casas made his Major League debut last September. His unorthodox pregame rituals reportedly didn't sit well with all of his teammates, Chris Cotillo reports.

Two hours before first pitch, Casas sunbathed shirtless in the right field grass of Fenway Park.

Red Sox rookie Triston Casas' pregame routine including sunbathing and napping bothered some veterans last year, per @ChrisCotillo

Casas says there was "clashes" about how he should act but he appreciated the veterans telling him how they felt pic.twitter.com/twqd7WNN2N

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) February 23, 2023

According to Cotillo, an unnamed veteran pitcher made notice of Casas and uttered his thoughts.

"Are you (expletive) kidding me?" the pitcher said.

Sunbathing became a part of Casas' pregame ritual in the minor leagues, in 2019. His pregame routine also included a 30-minute pregame nap in front of his locker, in the clubhouse, that began roughly 90 minutes before game time. Per Cotillo, veteran players took exception to his pregame rituals.

“I would have been more concerned if they weren’t saying anything to me,” Casas said. “I felt like that would have meant they didn’t feel like I was going to be (in the majors long). I think the fact they were telling me stuff, the fact they were getting on me for the little things meant that they wanted me to go about things the right way. They wanted me to make sure that I’m going to carry on that tradition throughout the years when I stay up here.”

Per Cotillo, Red Sox veterans loudly expressed their displeasure with Casas' routine, causing tension in the clubhouse down the stretch of a Red Sox season to forget. One year removed from an ALCS appearance, Boston finished 2022 with a 78-84 record, good for last place in a hypercompetitive American League East division.

“If I ever felt like they were trying to make an example out of me, there would be a little bit of a clash because at that point, I would be considering that disrespect,” Casas said. “But if I know they had good intentions by what they meant, or what they were trying to tell me, then I would definitely oblige and just say yes and keep moving forward because their respect means a lot to me.”

MLB Pipeline ranks Casas as the no. 23 prospect in all of baseball, entering the 2023 season.

Casas made his Major League debut September 4. He homered in his third professional game, September 6, at Tampa Bay.

In 27 games, Casas slugged five home runs and drove in 12 RBI, while slashing .197/.357/.766. Casas is expected to be the Red Sox primary first baseman in 2023, in his first full season in the big leagues.

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