Outside of their three-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals, the Boston Red Sox' offense has been virtually non-existent so far this season.
Multiple players are worthy of blame. Rafael Devers still hasn't looked like himself since his historically bad start, 2024 All-Star MVP Jarren Duran has a .581 OPS, and Boston has gotten next to zero production from the catcher spot between Connor Wong, Carlos Narvaez, and Blake Sabol.
The biggest culprit, though? That would be Triston Casas.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Boston sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
MORE RED SOX
The 25-year-old first baseman enters Tuesday with a .175/.242/.281 slash line, 18 strikeouts, four walks, and only one home run through 16 games. He began the season as the club's cleanup hitter before being moved down to sixth in the batting order. He'll hit seventh in Tuesday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays.
Those are unacceptable numbers for one of the more important pieces of Boston's lineup, but there is reason to believe brighter days are in Casas' near future.
This isn't the first time we've seen Casas struggle mightily to begin a season. As WEEI's Rob Bradford pointed out, he posted almost identical numbers over the first 14 games of his rookie campaign in 2023.
Triston Casas through first 14 games started in 2023:
— Rob Bradford (@bradfo) April 15, 2025
.135 BA, .528 OPS, 2 HRs, 20 Ks, 6 BBs, 23 left on base
Triston Casas through first 14 games started in 2025:
.175 BA, .523 OPS, HR, 18 Ks, 4 BBs, 21 left on base
Casas went on to produce an impressive debut season with the big-league club, hitting .263 with 24 homers, 65 RBI, and a .856 OPS in 132 games. The former top prospect finished third in American League Rookie of the Year voting.
Casas' monthly splits also offer a potential explanation for his slow starts. For his career, he owns a .667 OPS between March/April, a .766 OPS in May, .839 in June, 1.199 in July, .852 in August, and .798 in September. Perhaps the frigid weather has factored into the Florida native's early-season woes.
Whatever the case, it's still too premature to panic about Casas' offensive slump, just as it was to worry about Devers' head-scratching start. It's far more reasonable to question Casas' longevity at first base, as his defense has only declined since his rookie year.
The Red Sox need Casas to figure it out both at the plate and in the field sooner rather than later. They lack depth at the position, with utility man Romy Gonzalez as their only other current option on the active roster. Vaughn Grissom has gotten reps at first base with Triple-A Worcester, but it would be difficult to trust the young middle infielder at a position he has never played at the MLB level.
Casas and the Red Sox will look for better results Tuesday when they face the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 2 of their three-game series. Boston was steamrolled in Monday's series opener, 16-1.