Red Sox Executive Not Willing To Commit To Veteran Infielder

First base was an area of weakness for the Boston Red Sox throughout 2025. After Triston Casas went down with a knee injury, the team tried several players at the position, but never truly found an everyday player.

Romy Gonzalez performed admirably, as did Abraham Toro for a spell. Eventually, Nathaniel Lowe joined the team after being released by the Washington Nationals and filled some of the void at the position. Still, the loss of Casas was felt throughout the season.

In the Red Sox’s end-of-season press conference, Chief Baseball Officer didn’t want to commit to Casas as the team’s first baseman for 2026.

“I don’t think it makes a ton of sense, on October 6th, to say someone is or isn’t our first baseman,” Breslow said. “We’ll see how things play out. Unfortunately, Triston [Casas] has missed a significant amount of time over the past two years. We’ve also seen what he’s capable of doing when he’s healthy.”

Before he was injured, Casas had yet to perform offensively. In 29 games, he hit .182 with three home runs and a 24.1% strikeout rate. He’s historically been a slow starter, though. In 2023, he hit .133 in April, but turned it around to hit .291 with power the rest of the season.

The absence of Casas at first base left the Red Sox without many power bats. Trevor Story led the team with 25 home runs. When healthy, Casas has shown the ability to hit the ball over the fence to all parts of the field, something the team needed down the stretch.

Free agency is yet to begin, and there are plenty of moving parts that will determine what the Red Sox’s offseason looks like. Lowe is likely to be non-tendered, while Alex Bregman and Story have opt-out clauses. Pete Alonso is one name in free agency that the Red Sox have been linked to, but several teams will be in pursuit of the slugger’s services.

Breslow added that Casas has been recovering well, but didn’t want to put a timeline on his return.