The Boston Red Sox have many orders of business to attend to this winter, but one of the more overlooked agenda items is what they will do at first base. While it’s been presumed that Triston Casas will reclaim the position once he’s recovered from knee surgery to repair a ruptured patellar tendon he suffered in May.
A recent update on his road to recovery throws some uncertainty on his availability for Opening Day, with Craig Breslow saying: “I don’t think it makes a ton of sense on Oct. 6 to say someone is or isn’t our first baseman. We’ll see how things play out. Unfortunately, Triston has missed a significant amount of time over the last two years. We’ve also seen what he’s capable of doing when he’s healthy.”
Breslow added that although Casas looks good in his progression, he doesn’t want to put a timeline as to when he’ll be back in action. The first baseman’s injury was severe, and the surgery required to repair it is also intense — anything can happen in his recovery from now to Opening Day. For the Red Sox, that means first base should be rising up the list of priorities.
As good as Romy Gonzalez was as a fill-in in 2025, the Red Sox would be unwise to count on him and journeymen like Abraham Toro and Dominic Smith again. On top of that, the lineup could use an infusion of power.
Triston Casas’ uncertain recovery timeline should have the Red Sox eyeing the first base market
While most attention will be on retaining Alex Bregman or finding a suitable replacement, first base is not a position the Red Sox can ignore. Even with Bregman in 2025, the Red Sox could’ve used more power in the lineup.
Boston ranked 15th in homers (186), 10th in isolated slugging (.167), and ninth in slugging percentage (.421) in 2025. These are all average to slightly above average marks, but more is needed to compete in the tight AL East. A healthy Casas would help, but the Red Sox need to hedge their bets.
What that could look like is the interesting part. The Red Sox could pursue the big fish like Pete Alonso or Josh Naylor. They could go all in on one of the Japanese sluggers to hit the market, Munetaka Murakami or Kazuma Okamoto, or they could up for a lesser option in free agency or via trade.
An underrated point to consider is the need for a right-handed bat. Both Casas and Nathaniel Lowe are lefties, and the lineup as a whole is heavily left-handed. That could make a stopgap like Paul Goldschmidt, who slashed .336/.411/.570 against southpaws for the Yankees in 2025, and could hold down first base full-time until Casas returns, later shifting to a platoon bat.
At the end of the day, the path the Red Sox take will hinge on what happens with Bregman, but also how high on the list they view Casas insurance versus other needs in the rotation and the bullpen. Regardless, monitoring the first base market and striking when the time is right will be critical for a successful winter.
