ST. LOUIS — The Red Sox scrambled to replace Triston Casas’ production at first base by adding not one, but two, veteran first basemen to replace him after Casas tore cartilage in his ribcage and was placed on the 60-day injured list. So far, the loss has proven to be a massive one in terms of production.
The two veterans, Garrett Cooper and Dominic Smith, entered Friday’s game combining to hit .192 since joining the Red Sox. Cooper, who came over in a minor trade with the Cubs, is 7-for-34 (.206) with three doubles, three RBIs and 10 strikeouts. Smith, who was signed a couple days later after opting out a minor league deal with the Rays, is hitting just .179 (7-for-39) with two doubles, six RBIs and 10 strikeouts. Cooper boasts an OPS of .584. Smith’s is .450. In May, the Red Sox have gotten next to nothing from either veteran and both are playing most days with one serving as the designated hitter during Masataka Yoshida’s absence due to a serious left thumb strain.
