No broken rib, but Casas out several weeks
Though Triston Casas was told he didn’t actually suffer a rib fracture, his timeline for returning from what he described as a cartilage injury will be measured in weeks, and perhaps months. Casas said he initially experienced pain in his rib cage when swinging at a pitch from Cleveland starter Ben Lively in a game at Fenway on April 17. He tried to play through the condition, but another swing on April 20 in Pittsburgh was accompanied by pain that was too sharp to continue.
“There’s the rib cage and then there’s the sternum, and there’s pieces of cartilage that are in between those that connect the two. And that was what was torn, was the cartilage,” said Casas.
The doctor examining Casas said such injuries are more commonly seen in hockey and football players following collisions, and expressed surprise Casas suffered the cartilage damage solely based on swinging.
“He pretty much chalked it up to me being so big, rotating so fast so many times that I pretty much created a car crash within my body, and it was a matter of time before this happened,” said Casas. “He said it was something similar to a pitcher needing Tommy John, just an inevitable thing that was going to happen sooner or later.”
Casas — who noted it remains painful to breathe, thus rendering any cardio or strength training impossible — said he will require “a lot of rest to help it heal.” The medical team he saw offered numerous possibilities for the duration of his recovery.
“They said anywhere from three weeks to six weeks to nine weeks, they don’t know,” said Casas. “It’s just depending on how my body is feeling. But for right now, I’m still in pain to breath.”
Though Casas expressed frustration about an injury that came at a time when he was heating up at the plate — in the 14 games preceding the Lively atbat, he hit .314/.407/.667 with five homers — he took some solace in what he views as a certainty he’ll return this season.
“Very optimistic,” he said of playing again in 2024. “I’m feeling better right now with movement every single day
. . . I’m happy about where I’m at compared to where I was feeling five days [ago]. So hopefully I keep getting better every day. That’s the plan, and hit the ground running right when I get off the IL. So, yeah, I anticipate playing for a good amount of the season.”
Grissom getting close
Second baseman Vaughn Grissom — acquired from Atlanta over the offseason in a trade for Chris Sale — could make his Red Sox debut as soon as Tuesday. Grissom is slated to play nine innings on both Saturday and Sunday with Triple A Worcester.
“This is kind of like the last hurdle, probably,” said Sox manager Alex Cora. “We’re almost there.”
If the weekend goes well, Grissom could be activated Tuesday for the start of a home series against the Giants. The 23-year-old is hitting .227/.346/.318 in a seven-game rehab assignment with the WooSox, including a .333/.474/.467 line in his last five games. The Sox have also been pleased with his work at second base — a relatively new position — where they have seen Grissom demonstrate a hunger to learn.
“He wants to do it right. That’s something people are going to enjoy about him,” said Cora. “Very good kid, humble kid, but hungry. And I think that’s the way he plays, too. So it should be fun.”
Devers still at DH
Rafael Devers served as DH for the third straight game in Friday’s 7-1 loss to the Cubs, thus leaving Masataka Yoshida on the bench for a fifth straight game. Cora said Devers — recovering from a bone bruise in his knee — will be back at third base on Saturday, with Yoshida returning to the lineup as DH. With lefty Shota Imanaga starting for the Cubs, outfielder Wilyer Abreu was also on the bench.
Pivetta going live
Nick Pivetta (flexor strain) is scheduled to face hitters in a 50-pitch live batting practice session Saturday. Barring a setback, he’d likely follow with a minor league rehab start next week . . . Righthander Garrett Whitlock (left oblique) is throwing on flat ground, but has yet to be cleared to throw off a mound . . . Infielder Romy Gonzalez (wrist sprain) has improved significantly since receiving a cortisone injection this week . . . The Red Sox signed righthander Sal Romano to a minor league deal and assigned him to Triple A Worcester. Romano, a Southington, Conn., native, spent parts of five years in the big leagues with the Reds and Yankees from 2017-21. He elected to retire in spring training in 2022, but that decision proved short-lived, with Romano returning to pitch for the independent Gastonia Honey Hunters last year.
Breslow reunion
Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow spent time before the game catching up with several members of the Cubs, with whom he worked from 2019-23 . . . Cubs first-base coach Mike Napoli, an iconic member of the Red Sox’ 2013 World Series team, received a hero’s welcome . . . Actor and Maine native Patrick Dempsey threw out the first pitch in recognition of the work of the Dempsey Center, offering treatment and support to Mainers with cancer . . . Prior to the game, there was a moment of silence to honor former Red Sox player Dave McCarty, who passed away last week at age 54.