Alex Cora Gives Positive Update On Red Sox Slugger Triston Casas

BOSTON — Triston Casas got his MRI results back Tuesday on his fractured rib, which has kept the Red Sox first baseman sidelined since April 20.

And the results bode well for Casas returning in the near future.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said following Boston’s 9-4 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park that Casas will take the next step in his rehab now that the MRI has come back clean.

“There’s a good chance he starts swinging this week,” Cora said. “We’ll get into the details tomorrow.”

Casas, who is on the 60-day injured list, has taken groundballs and initially targeted June 21 as his return date, but that’s obviously come and gone. Cora didn’t reveal an updated timeline for Casas.

Casas looked to build off last season when he tore it up over the second half of the campaign and finished third in American League Rookie of the Year voting. But the rib injury limited him to just 22 games thus far, in which he hit .244 with six home runs and 10 RBIs.

The Red Sox have pieced it together at first base without Casas in the lineup, using Dominic Smith, Bobby Dalbec and Garrett Cooper, who was designated for assignment earlier this month and signed with an AL rival this week, to fill the void.

But they certainly can’t replicate what Casas can bring in the batter’s box as the left-handed slugger will provide a big presence in the middle of Boston’s order once he returns.