Resurgent Red Sox prospect looks set to put Triston Casas out of a job

The Boston Red Sox offense finally busted out in a big win over the Chicago White Sox on Friday night, but one name was conspicuously absent from the party: first baseman Triston Casas, who was riding the bench with a left-handed starter on the mound.

Which is a shame, because Casas certainly could've used the chance to get some mojo back. He's in the midst of a miserable slump to start the season, taking a .172/.243/.266 slash line into Saturday. It's been the subject of much consternation in Red Sox Nation of late, but no matter how bad thigns have gotten — or how lost he's looked at the plate — Alex Cora has refused to make a significant change to his starting lineup.

And you could understand why: Casas has been rough, but he's a central part of Boston's young core, and the team didn't have much of any first-base depth behind him to call on — Romy Gonzalez isn't exactly an everyday corner bat. That might be changing right before our eyes, though, and it could have Casas looking over his shoulder.

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Vaughn Grissom's tear forcing Red Sox into a tough Triston Casas decision

Early in the Minor League season, Boston made the decision to shift former top second-base prospect Vaughn Grissom over to first base. At the time, it wasn't much to write home about: Kristian Campbell has second base on lock in the Majors for the foreseeable future, so this mostly seemed like a last-ditch effort to wring some value out of the misguided Chris Sale trade.

A funny thing has happened since, though: Grissom started hitting the cover off the ball. After a brutal 2024 season in the Red Sox organization, he's starting to look like the guy who flashed big upside with the Atlanta Braves. His latest effort? Five hits in six at-bats, including four doubles, in a win for Triple-A Worcester. His OPS is now up to 1.023 on the year, with underlying metrics to back it up.

Is this Grissom's new normal? Certainly not. But he was a well-regarded prospect for a reason, and it certainly wasn't his questionable up-the-middle defense. If he's rediscovered out how to make hard contact consistently, he could be a real asset to the Red Sox this season, especially given the team's need for right-handed options.

There's no world in which Grissom fully supplants Casas in either the short or long term. Again, Casas has had slow starts before, and there's an abundance of evidence to suggest he's still a very good hitter going through a rough spell. But while Boston wants to maintain his confidence level through that rough spell, they might not have the luxury anymore if Grissom keeps hitting like this.