How Can the Red Sox Fill the Void at First Base?
Following the injury to Triston Casas, the Boston Red Sox may need to look externally to fill the hole at first base.
It’s been over a week since first baseman Triston Casas suffered a season-ending knee injury, and the Boston Red Sox are still scrambling to fill the void left behind in their infield.
Casas, who made his MLB debut with the Red Sox in 2022, collapsed on the field while running to first base in a game against the Minnesota Twins on May 2. The following day, Boston announced on social media that the 25-year-old had suffered a left patellar tendon rupture, and Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow confirmed the required surgery — which Casas underwent on May 4 — would involve an extensive rehab period that will likely rule him out for the remainder of 2025.
“Yeah, it’s tough,” Breslow told MLB.com’s Ian Browne. “You feel for Triston, given what he’s been through the last two years here. It seems like these injuries, they pop up in kind of unconventional ways. And unfortunately, this is a serious one that’s going to keep him out for a long time.”
So, where does that leave the Red Sox?
Should the Red Sox Stick With Internal Options at First Base?
Following the injury to Casas, Romy González — the only first baseman remaining on Boston’s roster — looked set to step up, at least until the team found a more permanent solution.
The 28-year-old got off to a great start this season, batting a career-best .308 with 6 RBI after 58 plate appearances, so it certainly seemed that as emergency replacements go, the Red Sox could do a lot worse.
Unfortunately, Boston can’t seem to catch a break.
On May 10, González was placed on the 10-day IL due to a left quad contusion, marking yet another setback for the Red Sox. He may not have been a realistic long-term solution (González is a career bench player for a reason), but he was a good option to bridge the gap until one was locked in, and now, Boston’s internal options to replace Casas have dwindled even further.
For now, the Red Sox’s immediate plan at first base has to be utility infielder Abraham Toro, who joined the team on a minor-league deal in January. Toro was called up from Triple-A when Casas went to the IL, but considering the switch hitter’s career batting average sits at just .219 over the last seven seasons, he’s unlikely to be more than a very short-term answer.
While González and Toro may put together a passable platoon situation for now (or, at least, they would’ve before González’s injury), the Red Sox’s best internal option to play first base is undoubtedly Rafael Devers — but that door appears to be closed.
On May 8, Devers told The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier that Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow had approached him about the possibility of a shift to first, but after being moved from third base this offseason to make room for newly-acquired Alex Bregman, the three-time All-Star isn’t interested.
“I know I’m a ballplayer, but at the same time, they can’t expect me to play every single position out there,” Devers told Speier, via a translator. “In [spring] training, they talked to me and basically told me to put away my glove, that I wasn’t going to play any other position but DH. So right now, I just feel like it’s not an appropriate decision by them to ask me to play another position.”
Devers’ refusal to move to first base also complicates plans to promote top prospect Roman Anthony to the big leagues. Anthony is currently the No. 1 prospect in baseball, and there’s no denying that the Red Sox could use his bat in their lineup right now — but they need somewhere to put him.
If Devers moves to first, the DH role would be free for Anthony to take over, at least until he can slot into the outfield.
Considering Anthony’s talent, the Red Sox will definitely find a way to get him into the lineup soon, even if Devers stays at DH. In the meantime, Boston may need to accept that they burned a bridge with Devers, and it’s time to look externally for an answer at first base.
Potential Free Agent/Trade Targets To Replace Triston Casas
Anthony Rizzo
We’re more than six weeks into the regular season, and first baseman Anthony Rizzo is still a free agent. At 35 years old and coming off consecutive injury-shortened seasons, it’s not particularly surprising that Rizzo wasn’t picked up by a team during the winter — but now, he may be Boston’s saving grace.
Having made his MLB debut in 2011 with the San Diego Padres, Rizzo already has 14 big-league seasons to his name, and there’s been no shortage of impressive moments throughout. During his decade-long stint with the Chicago Cubs, the lefty batter took home a World Series title (2016), three All-Star nods, four Gold Glove Awards, and a Silver Slugger Award.
He was traded to the New York Yankees during the 2021 season, and after promptly becoming the first player in franchise history to RBI in each of his first six games with the team, he signed a new contract at the end of 2022.
Unfortunately, Rizzo’s most recent two seasons saw him struggle with underperformance and extended stints on the IL. In 2023, he was limited to just 99 games after being diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome, and last year, a broken arm followed by broken fingers meant he only appeared in 92 games.
At the end of last season, the Yankees declined Rizzo’s $17 million option for 2025, and the former World Series champion became a free agent. Now, the Red Sox’s need for a first baseman could mean Rizzo’s MLB career isn’t over quite yet.
Justin Turner
Could a second stint in Boston be exactly what Justin Turner needs? Turner played one season with the Red Sox in 2023, but after declining his player option for 2024, he spent time with the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners before landing with the Chicago Cubs for this season.
Unfortunately, Turner’s 2025 season has gotten off to a rough start. Primarily coming off the bench, the 40-year-old has posted an abysmal .155/.271/.155 line after 70 plate appearances, good for an OPS+ of just 26.
Despite his ugly stats this season, a reunion with Boston would make a lot of sense. Turner quickly became a fan favorite in 2023, and when he was a free agent this offseason, The Athletic’s Patrick Mooney and Ken Rosenthal reported that the Red Sox were looking at him as a backup option if they couldn’t land Bregman.
Is Turner going to show up in Boston and suddenly return to his 2017 All-Star form? No, but if the Red Sox are looking for a budget-friendly reclamation project, he may be a perfect fit.
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