Red Sox Rehabbing Slugger Will Make Return 'Some Time In Baltimore'

Boston is finally getting its first baseman back, but will rust be a factor?

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The Boston Red Sox have something special coming their way when they travel to Camden Yards on Thursday.

According to a report from The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey, Boston’s 24-year-old slugger Triston Casas is expected to rejoin the Red Sox in Baltimore for their series with the Orioles.

“Cora said he did not expect rehabbing first baseman Triston Casas to join the team before the homestand is up on Wednesday, but Casas’ rehab clock runs out next weekend, so it seems like at the latest, barring setbacks, he’ll join the team some time in Baltimore,” McCaffrey said.

Casas has been out for nearly four months with a fractured rib, an injury which returned to the headlines this month when Casas publicly admitted to feeling like he was being stabbed whenever he took a swing.

Either Casas was employing a bit of hyperbole, or he has a superhuman pain threshold, because recent reports indicate that the first baseman has been showing big league-ready exit velocity and increasing his rehab intensity ahead of an imminent return.

Casas’s reappearance will be fascinating from a managerial standpoint. If it were May or June, Alex Cora wouldn’t hesitate to plug Casas right back into the lineup and let him comfortably work through the rust.

Boston is fighting for its playoff life at the moment, however, and time is of the essence with just 46 games left. Removing the in-rhythm Dom Smith from the everyday lineup in favor of Casas might not benefit the Red Sox over the next couple of weeks, which could decide their season.

On the other hand, Smith’s most useful attribute right now for this ballclub might be his arm, which has hilariously been among the most reliable weapons out of Boston’s bullpen of late.

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