The concept of contention still floats over Fenway Park these days, but it's only an illusion.
The Red Sox are still in the playoff race. Even after being shelled by the Toronto Blue Jays, 9-3, Tuesday night, they remained 6.5 games behind the third wild card spot with 39 games remaining.
Technically, they're alive.
Realistically, they're dead.
They just can't admit it yet, even though every statistical measure by Baseball-Reference.com and Fangraphs has their playoff chances below 10 percent. As even their manager, Alex Cora, was moved to concede before the game: "It doesn't look too promising, of course, but we just have to play good baseball. That's it.''
So, when the Sox needed a replacement for Eric Hosmer, who was placed on the IL prior to the game because of a lower back injury, the logical thing to do might have been to promote Triston Casas. Casas, of course, is the team's top position player prospect and has heated up of late for Triple A Worcester, where in August, he was slashing .333/.455/.556 with a homer and eight RBI.
Instead, the Sox summoned Franchy Cordero, whom they've already tried and found wanting. Still, Cordero is, nominally, a major leaguer and the Sox have to adhere to the notion that they're still in it to win it. So Cordero is brought up for what seems like the upteenth time this season while Casas remains in Worcester, getting additional development time.
Cora, quizzed about the decision, seemed almost perplexed that Casas would be in consideration.
"It hasn't been brought up to me,'' said Cora on the topic of promoting Casas. "So that's where we're at.''
To be sure, Casas has had an uneven 2022 season. He missed almost two months with a high ankle sprain and forfeited important development time. Last year was even more bifurcated, with two stints with the U.S. Olympic team that limited him to just 86 games between Double A and Triple A.
And to be fair, Cordero might have earned another look-see at the big league level, since, following his most recent demotion -- which took place right after Hosmer was acquired from San Diego at the trade deadline -- he had an 1.100 OPS over his last 12 games, with four homers.
But the Red Sox, as noted, have already seen what they have in Cordero: a rangy, athletic specimen with plus raw power and good speed, but deficient in the field and inconsistent when it comes to making regular contact at the plate. At best, it would seem, Cordero is a platoon candidate. More likely, he's a depth piece who can occasionally provide a big swing off the bench, as he did Sunday night with an opposite-field pinch-hit homer in the eighth inning against Baltimore.
Casas, however, has serious potential. A former first round pick, he's a plus defender at first, with good plate discipline and power that he's still growing into.
It would be silly to suggest Casas is fully developed as a player. He hasn't enough games or at-bats at the upper levels of the minors to demonstrate that. But he's part of the Red Sox future, something to which Cordero, for now, can't claim.
If the Red Sox are to be better in 2023 and beyond, wouldn't it make sense for them to introduce their top position prospect to the big leagues and allow him to get acclimated?
Well, yes and now. Hosmer is likely going to be out only another week or so, at which time, he'll reclaim the majority of playing time at first. Seeing what Casas can do in that brief window probably isn't going to establish much.
And there's this: as noted above, they haven't played themselves still out of contention....yet. We don't know for sure that the Red Sox can't put together a stretch over the next couple of weeks that sees them going 12-2 and leapfrogging some of the teams now blockaded in front of them in the standings.
It could happen. But it almost certainly won't.
Still, the Red Sox have to maintain some competitive instincts while they play out the streak, and turning to a prospect at one position could be seen as sending the wrong message to the rest of the clubhouse.
"This group is fighting hard,'' chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom told The Athletic, "and we have a lot of important games coming up. So I don't think anyone is thinking (that the remaining games don't matter). I don't think it would be fair to think that way right now.''
There will be another opportunity on Sept. 1, when rosters expand by two players. The Sox will almost certainly add a pitcher with one spot, leaving a coveted spot for a deserving position player. Perhaps by then, the math will be clearer, and while the Sox won't be officially eliminated, they'll certainly be trending toward that status.
So for now, the pretense continues and Casas waits his turn. He'll arrive too late to meaningfully impact this season, but a head start on next year might be just what the Sox need soon.