Triston Casas was the Red Sox’s designated hitter Monday afternoon, but the rookie didn’t limit himself to the on-deck circle and batter’s box.
Before the spring training matchup between Boston and the Atlanta Braves entered the bottom half of the sixth inning, Casas was spotted stretching, sprinting and getting himself loose just outside the left side of the infield. It was an unusual tactic for a DH, who spectators usually don’t see emerge from the dugout until it’s their time to bat.
Casas, however, wants to avoid being stagnant throughout a game, no matter what position he’s playing.
“I just want to make sure I’m warmed up heading into my at-bat,” Casas told WEEI’s Rob Bradford on Tuesday. “The most important thing was that I found a place where I wouldn’t interfere with anybody warming up. The cut of the grass would not be OK, and too far in the outfield might mess up the outfielders. I felt like it was the perfect line where you could get your work in, warm up, do a couple of sprints in between the at-bats so I don’t feel the first time I step on my field is my at-bat. I want to feel integrated in the game. I am one of the nine positions, so going out with my team was something I didn’t think would rub anybody the wrong way.”
Casas revealed to Bradford that he thought of his in-game warmup plan not long before Red Sox-Braves first pitch. The 23-year-old also plans to stick with the strategy unless he’s told otherwise.
Of course, DH won’t be Casas’ primary position in his first full MLB season and likely beyond. The 2018 first-round pick has taken over starting first baseman duties for the Red Sox, and he’s set to make his first Opening Day start there Thursday at Fenway Park.
