Red Sox’s Triston Casas Sets Lofty Expectations For 2024

Triston Casas’ rookie season started out slow, but the Red Sox first baseman eventually turned things around to finish strong.

In fact, it’s hard to envision him having had a better year considering the start.

Casas entered June batting a measly .188 through 47 games. He had just six home runs and 16 RBIs, despite playing every day due to Boston’s lack of depth. He started to turn things around as the weather got hotter, though, finishing his season slashing .263/.367/.490 with 24 home runs and 65 RBIs. He even finished third in American League Rookie of the Year voting.

That isn’t enough to satisfy the 23-year-old, however. He wants to do more to help the Red Sox get another taste of the postseason.

“In terms of goals, in terms of expectations, I want to be on the field for every single game and I want to make the playoffs,” Casas recently told Alex Speier of The Boston Globe. “Those are my two goals for next year. We’ll see where the chips lie next October, but going into spring training, those are the only two things that I want to be able to control, starting with staying healthy but trying to make more of an impact, not only with my play but also possibly with my insight to either the younger generation that comes up or to the (veterans) that somehow, maybe I’ve better earned trust from.”

Casas is going to be one of Boston’s pillars moving forward, as he, Rafael Devers and Brayan Bello look to be who the Red Sox are leaning on in an effort to get back into contention. He understands what that means and wants to provide more than just an on-field impact despite entering just his second season.

“I feel even though I am a young guy on the team that I can make an impact on this generation,” Casas said. “The (group) that we have right now is really good, led by Raffy Devers and Trevor Story, the left side of our infield. They’re going to be our anchors, but there’s a lot of prospects coming up that are going to give us a good chance to win for a really long time. I’m really excited about the future. The impacts I’ve made on (young teammates) along the way, whether it be at earlier levels or in spring training, it’s all for the betterment of (the team).”

In Boston’s hunt for another Red (Sox) October, Casas will be crucial.