UPDATE, 10:27 p.m. ET: Alex Cora addressed Casas' status after Boston polished off a 6-1 win, and the prognosis doesn't seem great. The Red Sox manager told reporters that his first baseman had suffered a "significant" knee injury, and while he's still at the hospital receiving treatment, it seems safe to assume he'll be out for an extended period of time.
Cora added that Casas appeared to be "in shock" when he went to check on him in the immediate aftermath of the injury.
"I know how hard he works, everything he went through in the offseason," Cora said. "In the end, we're human beings. We suffer with them, and it was tough to see."
A terrible start to the 2025 season may have turned disastrous for Boston Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas on Friday night. Casas was forced to leave Boston's game against the Minnesota Twins after suffering what appeared to be a very scary injury: The former first-round pick was attempting to beat out a ground ball to first base, but his knee buckled as he ran through the bag and he crumpled to the ground.
Casas lay on the ground for several minutes, and eventually had to be carted off the field and into the clubhouse at Fenway Park.
Given the awkwardness of the play — and just how pained the reaction was — it's all too easy to assume the worst here. It would obviously be a devastating blow for the first baseman, who had shown signs of finally starting to pull out of his early-season funk in recent days.
It would also be a huge blow for the Red Sox, who had stuck with Casas through his cold spell and were still counting on the 25-year-old to be a major piece of the team's lineup this season.
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Triston Casas carted off after suffering knee injury vs. Twins
Romy Gonzalez entered the game for Casas at first base, and would figure to see plenty of time at the position should Casas be forced to miss significant time. Boston also has an intriguing option waiting in Triple-A: Vaughn Grissom, who's started playing more and more at the cold corner and has been swinging a very hot bat of late.
Gonzalez is valued more for his versatility, and has struggled against right-handed pitching in the past. Grissom would be the likely choice as the everyday first baseman in Casas' absence, given his prospect pedigree with the Atlanta Braves and his impressive athleticism. Cora added during his postgame press conference that the team has yet to sort through its plan at the position, a plan that should become clearer in the coming days as Boston gathers more information.
Of course, we're getting ahead of ourselves here, as we still don't know just how much time Casas might be forced to miss. If it does wind up being as serious as it looked, it would be the second consecutive year in which Casas' season has been interrupted by a significant injury: He was limited to just 63 games in 2024 with a rib injury that knocked him out from April to August and seemed to linger even after he returned.