Rich Hill has some opinions on the injury epidemic
CLEVELAND - The Triston Casas news wasn't exactly what the Red Sox were hoping for.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora announced during his meeting with the media prior to his team's series-opener against the Guardians that Casas has been diagnosed with a fractured rib on his left side. The injury will keep the first baseman out for an extended period of time, although Cora said the hope it will not be season-ending.
“He has a fracture so he’ll be out for a while," Cora said. "Obviously, we had a pretty good idea a few days ago but after all the tests in Boston, that’s what came out. We just have to be patient now. Timetable? There’s none. This has to heal on its own. We’ve just got to be patient."
Cora noted Casas had been feeling some pain in the rib area during the Red Sox' most recent homestand, but injured the area to the point of not being available during a swing Saturday.
As for who will get the majority of time at first base in Casas' absence, Cora immediately pointed to Bobby Dalbec.
"We’ve got Bobby now. He's my first baseman," the manager said. "He’ll play."
The primary other option at first base after Dalbec is Pablo Reyes, with Rob Refsnyder having gotten some work at the position. If the Red Sox were to call up anybody from Triple-A Worcester - such as Niko Kavadas or Jamie Westbrook - a player would need to be taken off the 40-man roster.
One move the Red Sox did make was activating outfielder Tyler O'Neill (concussion) from the 7-day injured list, putting Tyler Heineman on the 10-day injured list with a hamstring injury.