Triston Casas is one of the great unknowns of this Boston Red Sox season, but the more we're seeing, the more we have reason to believe he'll make an impact relatively soon.
Though Casas isn't yet playing in spring training games, he's looked to be moving well in drills, now nearly 10 months removed from tearing the patellar tendon in his left knee in a nasty spill at first base last May against the Minnesota Twins.
On Saturday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive provided a report on Casas' timeline to get back into the mix for the Red Sox, with intel from inside the Boston clubhouse. In essence, it sounds as though things are progressing about as quickly as the 26-year-old could have hoped for.
"Where is Casas in his progression? Making good progress, a source said Saturday, but likely not in the mix for Boston’s Opening Day roster," Cotillo wrote.
"Casas continues to participate in baseball activities on the back fields at Fenway South but, as was expected, is behind the other healthy position players in camp. Still, that he’s able to do as much as he’s doing — including batting practice and fielding drills at first base — has caught the attention of Red Sox officials since camp opened."
The Red Sox acquired Willson Contreras from the St. Louis Cardinals in December, which effectively ended Casas' bid to come back and regain the starting role he had at the start of last season. It's going to be a tricky roster fit when he eventually does return, assuming Boston doesn't sustain multiple injuries early in the year.