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The Boston Red Sox lost first baseman Triston Casas to a devastating knee injury in May. The 25-year-old had struggled early in the season, but carried high expectations to return to his prior form in which he put up a 129 and 124 OPS+ in 2023 and 2024 respectively.
Casas’ injury would eventually lead to the now-infamous fallout between the Red Sox and slugger Rafael Devers, as his consistent refusal to play first base would lead the team to trade Devers to the San Francisco Giants.
Since May 2, Abraham Toro has had the lion’s share of first base duties, fielding the position for 66 games and slashing .247/.297/.382 with a .680 OPS, with Romy Gonzalez playing first in 39 games with a slash line of .298/.328/.554 and an .881 OPS. With new reports surfacing, the Red Sox could see yet another new face at first base this season.
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“First baseman Nathaniel Lowe and the Boston Red Sox are finalizing a deal, sources tell ESPN,” Jeff Passan tweeted Sunday night. “Lowe was DFA’d by Washington earlier this week and will head to Boston and join one of the best lineups in the league.”
Lowe has had a disappointing season to this point, putting up his first season with an OPS+ south of 100, hitting just .216 in 440 at-bats, with a minus-0.4 WAR.
Lowe represents a low-risk, high-reward pickup for the Red Sox, who could benefit from an everyday first baseman with over 800 games of major league experience who very well may benefit from a change of scenery away from the floundering Washington Nationals.
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