Red Sox’ Alex Cora explains sitting Triston Casas, Wilyer Abreu against lefty again (2025)

BOSTON — The Red Sox faced a lefty starter Friday night and, once again, Triston Casas and Wilyer Abreu were held out of the lineupu.

With former Red Sox hurler Martín Pérez on the mound for the visiting White Sox, manager Alex Cora started Romy Gonzalez at first base and Rob Refsnyder in right field. The decisions continued a somewhat surprising early-season trend of Cora platooning at first base — a spot he adamantly claimed would be Casas’ against all pitchers on March 18 — and right field.

Somewhat remarkably, Friday’s game is just the fourth time the Red Sox have faced a left-handed starter in 21 games (Boston is 0-3 in those games after going . Casas has been out of the lineup for all four while Abreu played Saturday against Pérez and the White Sox on a rare off day for Jarren Duran. Casas has gotten seven plate appearances against southpaws this season and has done very well, going 5-for-7 (.714) with two doubles and a homer. Abreu, who started games started by opposing lefties just six times in 2024, is 1-for-6 with two strikeouts and two walks against southpaws.

The reason for platooning, Cora reiterated Friday, is that the Red Sox need to find playing time for both Gonzalez and Refsnyder, who are valued bench contributors who crushed left-handed pitching in 2024. In an early-season schedule that includes very few off days — Boston is playing 15 games in 15 days — Cora finds mixing in bench players to be an important task.

“That’s the reason (Gonzalez and Refsnyder playing), but during games they have started, the have faced lefties in the middle of the game,” Cora said. “It doesn’t have to be starts. It’s facing them and facing relievers during games.”

Cora also cited the fact the Red Sox have four different game times, including a morning start on Patriots Day Monday.

“It’s a tough weekend. We play at 7, at 4, at 1 and 11. Everybody’s going to be part of it. We feel like this lineup against Martín today is a good one.”

Casas has a career .829 OPS in 190 plate appearances against left-handed pitchers in the big leagues and was expected to be an everyday player at first base in 2025. A slow start has made it easier for Cora to sit him. Even though he has produced in his small sample against southpaws, Casas is hitting just .172 (11-for-64) with four extra-base hits, three RBIs and 18 strikeouts in 18 games.

Abreu has been one of Boston’s early-season offensive stars after a torrid start on the opening road trip, which came as a bit of surprise after a gastrointestinal virus slowed him in spring training and limited him to just six Grapefruit League games. Cora had previously said that the Red Sox wanted to expose Abreu to lots of left-handed pitching during the spring to get him acclimated to a bigger role but his lack of game action slowed that mission.

Cora still expects Casas and Abreu to get starts against lefties and to stop platooning at some point. For the next week, though, it won’t be an issue with the White Sox lining up three righties for the remainder of this series and the Mariners, with a dominant all-righty rotation, coming to town from Tuesday to Thursday.

“They’ve been good,” Cora said when asked about how Casas and Abreu have fared against lefties. “Hitting the ball the other way, taking their walks. Willy, early in the season. They haven’t had too many but it’s been OK.”