Red Sox get brutal update on .800 OPS slugger amid injury setback

The Boston Red Sox are 1-4 to begin the 2026 regular season, and while the season is far from over, it's hard not to worry already.

One of the key storylines to pay attention to this year for the Red Sox is the return of their .800 career OPS slugger, Triston Casas, from injury. He's been out for almost a full season at this point and is making progress.

At least, that was the case until now. According to a new report from Tim Healey of the Boston Globe, Alex Cora announced that Casas had a setback and will now be shut down for a while.

Red Sox get brutal Triston Casas update

"Triston Casas has a setback in the form of sore ribs, Alex Cora said, so he is 'shut down for a while ... we have to slow it down.'" Healey reports.

This is a brutal update for Casas and the Red Sox. He's missed a lot of time due to a knee issue last season with his ruptured patellar tendon.

It's been a long recovery, and it's going to take even longer with this update from Cora that revealed a setback for the lefty slugger.

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The 26-year-old first baseman didn't have a clear starting spot in the lineup with Willson Contreras taking over after being acquired in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals, but it doesn't mean the Red Sox couldn't use the lefty slugger.

In his career, Casas has 2.2 bWAR across 251 games played, with just 29 last year and 63 in 2024. It's been a couple of seasons since his positive impact on the Red Sox was felt.

He has 45 career home runs, and his .800 OPS in the last four years is a solid mark that's worth being excited about. But this injury is proving to be a big issue.

And with this latest setback, the Red Sox will be without this key hitter for a while longer, as Casas is being shut down for a little while to make sure he's fully healthy before his return in 2026.

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