The Red Sox are fighting to stay alive in the AL Wild Card race, and their lineup will get a big boost on Friday with the return of Casas as first reported by MassLive’s Chris Cotillo:
Casas broke out last year, hitting .263 in 132 games with 24 homers and a .370 wOBA. The 24-year-old is seen as the 1B of the future and got off to a hot start to this year with six homers and a .361 wOBA before landing on the 60-day IL with a cartilage tear in his left ribcage. He was on the shelf from April 20 until July 30 when he started a rehab assignment with Triple-A Worcester. In his 11 games in the minors, Casas went 12-for-40 (.300) with seven doubles, a home run and a .418 wOBA.
He will be back in the lineup batting third and playing 1B on Friday as the Red Sox take on the Orioles in Baltimore. In DFS contests, including the MLB $200K Rally Cap [$50K to 1st], his salary is $4,900 as he takes on righty Corbin Burnes ($9,700). Casas and the Red Sox are +150 underdogs on the road, and Casas is -145 to get a hit and +900 to hit a home run in his return on DraftKings Sportsbook.
To make room on the roster for Casas, the Red Sox had to designate Dominic Smith for assignment.
Smith played 84 games for the Red Sox filling in for Casas at 1B and hit six homers with a .237 batting average and .311 wOBA. He likely showed enough to get another chance with a team in the majors, but we’ll have to see where he lands to see his potential fantasy value. After designating Dom, the Red Sox have one week to trade him or place him on unconditional waivers. If he is placed on waivers but unclaimed, he could remain with Boston and be sent to the minors or refuse that assignment and become a free agent.
The Red Sox got some more good news on Friday, as OF Tyler O’Neill will return to the lineup on Saturday, per MassLive’s Chris Cotillo. O’Neill has missed the last 12 games due to an illness that developed into a leg infection. It was the third stint on the IL for the oft-injured O’Neill.
The return of both Casas and O’Neill will provide a massive offensive boost for the Red Sox, as O’Neill has a .275 ISO in 342 plate appearances this season, which has translated to 22 home runs. He’s striking out 31.9% of the time, but the walk rate is 11.1% and the slash is .268/.357/.544.
Coming into Friday’s game, the Red Sox are 2 1/2 games behind the Royals for the third and final Wild Card spot. They are eight games back of the Orioles and Yankees in the A.L. East and are currently +14000 longshots to win the division and +7000 to win the World Series.
All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
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