RED SOX CONSIDERING FORMER ALL-STAR IN WAKE OF TRISTON CASAS INJURY
The Red Sox lost first baseman Triston Casas for a yet-to-be-determined but significant period Tuesday, as the 24-year-old slugger was diagnosed with a left rib fracture. Manager Alex Cora said at the time that Bobby Dalbec would get the bulk of playing time at first base in place of Casas, but it seems the Sox are also mulling the possibility of going outside the organization. Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports that Boston has initially talked about bringing veteran C.J. Cron back to the organization.
Cron, 34, was with the Sox during spring training but was granted his release in late March after he triggered an opt-out clause. The veteran slugger saw action in six spring games and went 3-for-15 with a pair of walks. He remains unsigned.
Middling as those small-sample spring numbers may be, Cron has a long and generally productive track record at the big-league level. He’s a career .260/.320/.471 hitter who’s hit 25 or more home runs in four different seasons, including a 29-homer campaign as recently as the 2022 season with the Rockies. Cron hit .260/.304/.476 and popped 11 homers in 56 games with the Rox last season before being traded to the Angels — his original organization — at the deadline. He slumped to a .200/.259/.260 line in 15 games post-trade, and twice hit the injured list due to lower back troubles over the season's final two months.
Cron has had four IL placements due to back and neck injuries since the 2021 season, and he missed the majority of the shortened 2020 campaign after damaging a ligament in his knee while fielding a grounder — an injury that eventually required surgery. It’s been a tough few years on the health front, but Cron has typically been a productive bat when he’s been on the field. Given that he’s still unsigned after opting out of a minor league deal, one would imagine the cost to sign him would also be affordable.
There are other options for the Sox to consider if they go outside the organization. Fellow veteran Brandon Belt remains unsigned despite a hefty .254/.369/.490 slash and 19 home runs in 404 plate appearances with the Blue Jays last year. That performance was 38% better than the league average by the measure of wRC+ (138). The Cubs also just designated veteran Garrett Cooper for assignment despite a rather productive 41 plate appearances to begin his season (.270/.341/.432, 118 wRC+). Cooper has punched out in more than 30% of his plate appearances and benefited from a .391 BABIP, which could be a red flag for the Sox and other interested parties.
For now, it’ll be Dalbec getting the looks at first base, though it’s hardly a surprise that the Sox aren’t comfortable simply handing him the keys at first base. The former hit 33 home runs in his first 156 big league games from 2020-21 but has since batted just .198/.268/.337 (65 wRC+) in 441 plate appearances — all while punching out at a glaring 37.2% clip. Even more concerning is Dalbec’s start to the 2024 season. The 28-year-old has taken 35 plate appearances and gone 1-for-32 with 18 strikeouts.
More must-reads:
- Red Sox first baseman facing lengthy absence due to rib fracture
- Bobby Dalbec has one last chance to prove himself for the Red Sox
- The '2018 Boston Red Sox World Series roster' quiz
Trending slideshow: One player from every MLB team that deserves more love (Provided by Yardbarker)