Red Sox’ Triston Casas suffered ‘significant knee injury’ vs. Twins

Red Sox

Alex Cora said postgame that Casas was hospitalized following the knee injury he suffered during a collision at first base.

Triston Casas suffered a serious knee injury after a collision at first base in the second inning during Friday’s game against the Twins.

Casas was running out a ground ball when his left ankle awkwardly hit Twins first baseman Ty France in the second inning. Casas’s ankle appeared to twist as the Red Sox first baseman tripped over France’s leg, causing him to fall to the ground. Casas grabbed at his left knee and remained on the ground, visibly shaken, for some time before being stretchered off the field.

“It’s a significant knee injury,” manager Alex Cora told reporters of Casas’s status after the game. “He’s at the hospital right now getting more tests and all that stuff. We’ll have more information tomorrow.”

Cora did not specify a diagnosis or any other details.

It was a scary scene at Fenway Park as Casas lay motionless at first base. His teammates and Twins players looked on as the medical staff tended to the 25-year-old. A stretcher was brought out and staff helped Casas onto.

Casas was seen putting weight on his right leg as he was placed on the stretcher, but was unable to do so with his left.

“It seems like he was in shock, to be honest with you,” Cora said. “[Casas] said right away that he didn’t feel it. It’s tough. He works so hard. We want him on the field. It’s a hustle play, too, and that happened.”

Entering Friday, Casas was struggling at the plate through 28 games. Batting .184 with a .585 OPS and three home runs, the left-handed hitter was hoping to get things going offensively with the calendar flipping to a new month.

On top of that, Casas was hoping for a healthy season after torn cartilage in his left rib cage sidelined him for four months last year. He played just 63 games and batted .241 with 13 home runs.

“You put so much effort in the offseason. I know how he works … and everything he went through in the offseason to get ready for this,” Cora said. “He was looking forward to have a big season for us. It didn’t start the way he wanted, but he kept grinding, kept working, and now this happened. … It was tough to see him.”

Cora said the team isn’t sure yet who will start in Casas’s place moving forward. Romy Gonzalez replaced him as the pinch runner and ultimately at first base for the rest of the game.

First base is not a position of depth for Boston. Gonzalez and Connor Wong are the team’s only two options on the active roster as of postgame Friday; Wong has played 14 games at 1B in his MLB career. He returned from the injured list (broken finger) Friday.

At Triple-A, infielder Vaughn Grissom has played four games at first this season. He is a member of the 40-man roster. Alex Binelas, who is not a member of the 40-man roster, has played 127 games at 1B in his minor league career.

Regardless of who replaces Casas, and for how long, it’s an all-around unfortunate situation.

“Horrible,” teammate Alex Bregman said of Casas’s situation (via MassLive’s Sean McAdam). “Obviously, we’re all thinking about him and hoping for the best. Great teammate and you hate to see that happen. We’re all thinking about him right now.”