MLB Notebook: Triston Casas aiming to ‘be ready for Opening Day’, ominous update for Marcelo Mayer, Red Sox notes, a look around the league

Triston Casas has been on the sidelines watching his teammates this summer, dealing with a season-ending ruptured patellar tendon in his knee.

The injured first baseman was with the Red Sox this weekend as Boston played a three-game series with the Marlins. The 25-year-old is expected to get his knee strength tested in three weeks to determine whether he can be cleared to ramp up his workouts and begin baseball activities, according to The Boston Globe’s Peter Abraham.

“It’s great to see the way we’ve been playing,” Casas said.

The injured first baseman is going to spend the offseason at Fenway South in Fort Myers, working with the team on his rehab from his knee surgery.

“My goal is to be ready for Opening Day and to play first base,” he said. “I’m going to do everything I can to get there.”

The 25-year-old suffered the patellar injury back in early May after he hit a short chopper to the mound and was attempting to beat out a throw from Twins starter Joe Ryan in the second inning of the Red Sox’ 6-1 win over the Twins at Fenway Park. Upon reaching the base, he slipped, and as he stepped on the bag, he fell hard to the ground, grabbing at his left knee. After lying on his back near first base, Casas was stretchered off the field and taken to an area hospital.

Casas had gotten off to a slow start to the season offensively, hitting just .182 with three homers, 11 RBI, and a .580 OPS. He has been limited to a total of 92 games over the last two seasons. The left-handed slugger missed 98 games last season after he tore cartilage in his rib cage swinging in a game last April while the club was on the road in Pittsburgh.

After Casas went down, Boston pivoted to Romy Gonzalez and Abraham Toro as a platoon at first base. The duo has hit .238 with a .687 OPS, 14 home runs, and 59 RBIs and has prompted the Sox to attempt to bring in recently released Nationals first baseman Nathaniel Lowe. Toro has struggled since the All-Star break, hitting .183 with a .526 OPS, and is a prime DFA candidate if Boston brings in Lowe.

Boston could also recall Kristian Campbell from Triple-A Worcester if they fail to add Lowe, but based off Alex Cora’s comments about the rookie, it doesn’t look like he’ll be added anytime soon, citing the rookie has “work to do down there.”

“It’s the same things he struggled here with,” Cora said to reporters on Friday night prior to the start of the series with the Miami Marlins. “Pitch recognition, covering certain shapes of fastballs. That’s something that’s hard because he’s not gonna get that down there. He’s not. The velo here is harder; it’s faster. Locations are on point here. With all due respect to the players down there, the gap is a big gap. Just one of those where we’ve got to keep working. He’s got to keep working and see what the future holds.”

Casas has called this season and knee injury his “worst nightmare,” and there’s no doubt he will work hard to get back for Opening Day. One intriguing aspect of adding Lowe would be the fact that the Sox would have control over the first baseman beyond this season. He is arbitration-eligible next season and will become a free agent during the winter of 2027. Lowe would provide protection at first base if Casas is not ready for Opening Day and requires additional time in extended spring training and the minors after recovering from a catastrophic knee injury.

MAYER COULD MISS THE SEASON

Marcelo Mayer has been anxiously trying to return to the Red Sox lineup, but it doesn’t appear that will be happening anytime soon. Mayer has been on the injured list with a wrist sprain he suffered at the end of July.

The rookie received a cortisone shot in an attempt to reduce inflammation and move his recovery process along faster. Mayer said the shot helped with the pain, and he resumed baseball activities by playing catch. He also began to take dry swings, but it remains unclear whether he will return this season, according to Cora.

If this ends up being the case, it would be the third straight season that Mayer is shut down for the year. He suffered a season-ending shoulder injury two years ago, and last season was in the middle of a strong season in the minors. He was promoted to Triple-A Worcester. He did not play for the WooSox in 2024 due to dealing with a lumbar injury.

With about 6 weeks left in the regular season, time is running out for Mayer to return to the big leagues.

CRAWFORD AIMING FOR SPRING TRAINING

Kutter Crawford opened the season on the injured list with patellar tendinopathy in his right knee. While he was rehabbing from that injury, the righty suffered an injury to his right wrist and underwent season-ending surgery on July 2. Crawford explained to reporters that his wrist injury resulted from "doing some pretty standard maintenance" at his home in Florida.

“I was just outside, kind of moving some stuff,” Crawford said to reporters at Fenway Park ahead of the Sox’ three-game series with the Marlins. “I went to move something, it got hung up, and it turned my wrist the other way. I kind of felt a subtle pop.”

Crawford tore a stabilizing sheath that was holding a tendon in place in the wrist. He is expecting to be ready for spring training in 2026.

“I expect to be throwing a baseball by October,” he said. “Build up and have a normal sort of offseason. That’s the goal.”

The main issue he was dealing with, the right knee issue, Crawford said his knee is doing well.

“My knee feels better than it has in, I’d say, probably three or four years,” Crawford said. “So I’m very, very optimistic about that, and hopefully we’ll have no issues.”

TOLLE IMPRESSIVE

Payton Tolle made his second start for the WooSox and was excellent, going five innings, allowing three hits and no runs with one walk, and five strikeouts on 71 pitches (46 strikes). 

This start comes on the heels of his first Triple-A start at Polar Park last Sunday, where he struggled in the first innings of a 6-3 loss to the Buffalo Bisons. Tolle allowed six runs in the first inning, a grand slam and a two-run blast that put Worcester into a hole early on in the game.

“[After] all the crap that happened there, I settled in a lot better,” Tolle told the Worcester Telegram & Gazette. “Then finally in that fifth inning, I got to where we were on the offensive side of pitching, which was good.”

Tolle is the Sox’ top pitching prospect and could be calling Fenway Park home very soon, even if it’s for a spot start.

“It might be more likely for Tolle to be utilized in a spot start for matchup purposes. If the Sox suffer a rainout and have to find a sixth starter, it’s not hard to envision Tolle being plugged in for a spot start before being returned to Worcester to finish out the season,” MassLive’s Sean McAdam reported this week.

Boston promoted Tolle from Double-A Portland a few weeks back after he had dominated opposing Double-A lineups in Portland. The 6-foot-6, 250-pound lefty has been rapidly progressing through the Sox' system. Through five starts (six appearances), he’s 1-1 with a 1.67 ERA, one save, 37 strikeouts to seven walks, with a 0.74 WHIP.

Overall this season (not counting his two starts for the WooSox), he’s made 15 starts while recording a 2.93 ERA with 116 strikeouts and 21 walks with a 1.02 WHIP. Drafted in the second round, No. 50 overall, out of Texas Christian University in last summer’s amateur draft, Tolle has blown past both Low-A Salem and High-A Greenville.

OTHER RED SOX NEWS

- WooSox infielder Vaughn Grissom has been out of the lineup since August 9. He's been dealing with right foot soreness, a source confirmed to the Boston Sports Journal. Grissom has played in 96 games this season for Triple-A Worcester and is hitting .270 with 13 homers, 48 RBI, 24 doubles, and a .783 OPS. He has not had an opportunity to crack the Red Sox’ 26-man roster this season and has been in the minors since last summer, following an injury-plagued first season in Boston.

- Remember Noah Song? The Red Sox minor league pitcher has been quietly putting together a strong season for the Portland Sea Dogs. The 28-year-old right-hander has a 3.74 ERA in 33 2/3 innings with 33 strikeouts to 16 walks. It’s been a long road back to professional baseball for Song, who finished his military commitments with the Navy in 2022. He was selected by the Phillies in the Rule 5 Draft before being returned to the Red Sox. Song missed last season due to Tommy John surgery.

- Hunter Dobbins underwent successful ACL surgery on August 12, and his recovery time ranges from six months to a year. Dobbins is no stranger to undergoing a major setback in baseball. He battled back from Tommy John surgery years ago.

- Justin Slaten is working towards returning to the Red Sox. He pitched two innings off a mound to test his sore throwing shoulder. Slaten has been injured since May 29 and has been dealing with a structural issue in his right shoulder.

“Arm strength has been great,” Slaten said. “[Velocity] has been really good in bullpens—as good as, if not better than, what it was really my entire life throwing bullpens. So feel really excited.”

AROUND THE LEAGUE

- The Phillies lost their ace, Zack Wheeler, due to a blood clot near his right shoulder, and he was placed on the 15-day injured list. The righty was enjoying an outstanding season, with a 10-5 record, a 2.71 ERA, and a major-league-leading 195 strikeouts. He was on pace for a 200-inning season, but his latest injury has stalled that, and he sits at 149 2/3 innings.

- With their 14th consecutive victory on Saturday night, the Brewers set a single-season franchise record. Milwaukee rallied to defeat the Reds, 6-5 in 11 innings. With the win, they comfortably own the best record in the majors at 77-44 and are nine games ahead of the Cubs for first place in the National League Central.

- Astros All-Star closer Josh Hader is hopeful he will pitch again this season, even if that means he gets to pitch in the postseason. Hader has been on the shelf with a left shoulder capsule strain. He will not throw for at least three weeks, and during that time, the team is hoping rest and strengthening exercises will help before he’s reevaluated to see if he can resume a normal throwing program.

- The Orioles promoted No. 3 prospect, outfielder Dylan Beavers, from Triple-A Norfolk. He started in right field and batted sixth for the O’s going 1-for-5 in his big league debut. He connected on a leadoff double in the ninth inning for his first MLB hit on Saturday night.

- Speaking of Lowe, he will be able to pick a new team in the next couple of days after he was released by the Nationals this weekend. The Red Sox, Reds, and Royals are three teams in the mix for the slugger. Lowe has had a down year, hitting just .216 with 16 homers and 68 RBI and owned an .665 OPS. He’s recorded a 26.5% strikeout rate and a career-low 86 wRC+ and -0.8 WAR, according to FanGraphs.

- Braves catcher Drake Baldwin is a strong candidate for the National League Rookie of the Year award. The rookie is having an excellent first season in the bigs, hitting .283 with 13 homers and 53 RBI with an .814 OPS in 89 games.

- Red Sox fans will be biased and want Roman Anthony to take home the honors of the American League Rookie of the Year award. Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz is a possible favorite to take home the title. He’s crushing big league pitching, hitting .306 with 24 homers and 65 RBI, and owns a 1.015 OPS in 83 games this season.

- Aroldis Chapman has been dominant on the mound this season, averaging 12.8 strikeouts per nine innings. The eight-time All-Star has a 1.18 ERA and a 0.75 WHIP, two career bests.

- Ben Rice could be the Yankees' starting first baseman next season, replacing veteran Paul Goldschmidt. Rice had a big night on Saturday night, driving in seven runs in a win over the Cardinals.