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Red Sox won’t use Rafael Devers to replace Triston Casas, so here’s their plan
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- Red Sox won’t use Rafael Devers to replace Triston Casas, so here’s their plan
BOSTON — With Triston Casas out for the season after rupturing the patellar tendon in his left knee , the Red Sox have been left scrambling for first base help. It appears their solution at the position won't include Rafael Devers or top prospects Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer, at least for the time being.
In the wake of Casas being stretchered off the field Friday night after suffering the injury running down the first base line, there has been some speculation that the Red Sox could have Devers, who was moved off third base to designated hitter this season, start taking grounders at first. And while chief baseball officer Craig Breslow vowed that all options were on the table when it comes to replacing Casas, manager Alex Cora was adamant that he wasn't interested in having Devers start learning a totally unfamiliar position in the middle of the season that has seen him have zero action in the field.
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"From my end right now, no," said Cora. "We asked him to do something in spring training. In the beginning, he didn't agree with it . Now, he's very comfortable doing what he's doing. Like I told you guys in spring training, he's my DH.
"It's not delicate at all," Cora continued. "We made a decision. We talked to him. He's a DH."
Instead, the Red Sox will use utility men Romy Gonzalez and Abraham Toro (who was called up Saturday) in a platoon at the position while scouring the trade, waiver and free agent markets for external options. After Casas went down with torn cartilage in his rib cage in late April last year, Breslow struck quickly, trading for Garrett Cooper and signing Dom Smith in quick succession. Similar action could follow this time around.
"We obviously started this, this last offseason, trying to be aggressive in putting a competitive team on the field," Breslow said. "This is unfortunately an opportunity to explore what is available. We'll look both internally and potentially externally as well."
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Gonzalez was Casas' backup to start the year and will, for the time being, get the most playing time at first base , Cora said. Toro, a switch-hitter who has 365 games of big league experience and posted a .917 OPS in 27 games with Worcester, is a switch-hitter, so he'll play first against some right-handed starters while also backing up at second base and third.
"We'll give Romy some at-bats. We will. I want to see how it works out," Cora said. "Defensively, he has been solid. Offensively, he has been good. It's an opportunity for him to go out there and perform. I don't want him to feel like this is it, that this is his chance to shine. Just do your part. Don't try to be somebody you're not."
"It just happened yesterday. We'll talk and we'll see where we're at. But I think Romy and Toro, they can do the job. I truly believe that, so we're gonna roll with them."
Cora doesn't want other players to try to learn first base on the fly. Connor Wong , Rob Refsnyder and Carlos Narváez have played it at various levels but the Red Sox want to keep them in their current spots. It seems unlikely Boston would introduce someone like Kristian Campbell or Trevor Story to first, either.
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"We've been through that act before, moving people around and playing guys at first base who never played first base," Cora said. "It wasn't good. The effort was there. I appreciated Franchy (Cordero) playing first. Kyle (Schwarber), of course, we needed to play first, but he wasn't a first baseman . These two guys (Gonzalez and Toro) are capable of doing it. I feel very comfortable with them. The lineup, we have to mix and match and find spots for them where we can maximize the lineup.
"It's a tough position to play," he added. "Especially nowadays when you're pushing that guy to the hole with right-handed hitters... The picks, the throws, everything that comes with it. It's a tough position to play, a tough position to learn. I'm very comfortable."
For Anthony and Mayer, who are on the verge of the majors, the Red Sox don't want to change development tracks based on need. The first base reps at Triple-A will continue to go to Nick Sogard , Vaughn Grissom and Nathan Hickey , who were passed over for a promotion Saturday but are in the mix as depth.
"Both of those guys (Anthony and Mayer) obviously are showing the ability to impact both sides of the ball," said Breslow. "Given the bright features that they have ahead of them at their respective positions, introducing additional variables doesn't make a ton of sense right now."
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It won't be a surprise to see Breslow and the Red Sox make an addition in the coming days. They could, for the second straight year, turn to the opt-out market for someone like Smith (who is in Triple-A with the Yankees ) or a veteran like Jon Singleton (Mets), Trey Mancini ( Diamondbacks ), Bligh Madris (Tigers) or Mike Ford (Twins). Yuli Gurriel (who has familiarity with Cora from Houston ) is 40 but is available after being designated for assignment by San Diego . Ditto Anthony Rizzo , who at 35 remains unsigned after a down year with the Yankees but said he'll only play if he receives what he thinks he's worth. Higher-value trade options are possible as well — and the Red Sox may circle back at the trade deadline.
"The conversations about longer-term solutions are ongoing," Breslow said. "We'll figure out something. We've got no choice."
" I think we need to put all options on the table. Like I said, asking kind of guys who haven't played in the big leagues yet to assume new positions at the same time they're trying to make that transition is a difficult ask. But we need to be open-minded about solutions here.
"Through the first month of the season, despite some inconsistent play, we feel like we've got a really talented team and a group that we believe in, and we want to make sure that we're doing everything we can to stay as competitive as possible."
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