BOSTON (AP) — Boston Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas was carried off the field on a stretcher in the second inning of a 6-1 win over the Minnesota Twins at Fenway Park on Friday night due to a significant left knee injury, according to manager Alex Cora.
“We’ll have more information tomorrow (Saturday),” Cora said.
The 25-year-old Casas was taken to a local hospital for further testing.
“To be honest, it seemed like he was in shock,” Cora said. “When you see the cart, you’re like whoa. It’s more than a twisted ankle or something like that.”
Casas fell as he was attempting to leg out an infield hit that starter Joe Ryan bobbled before his under-hand throw to first baseman Ty France. Replays showed that Casas collided with France and the atmosphere in the Red Sox dugout mimicked the eerie calm that fell over the entire ballpark once Casas went down and didn’t get up immediately.
“They put in so much work and effort in the offseason to try and play 162-plus (games), then something like that happens. That’s the reason why you don’t take it for granted,” Cora said. “(Casas) loves being a big leaguer. He loves coming to the ballpark at 10 in the morning and leaving at midnight. For now, I think it’s going to be taken away, but he’s going to be back.”
Casas entered the game hitting .184 with three home runs in 28 games. Romy Gonzalez replaced him in the lineup Friday and doubled in a run during the eighth inning.
Casas missed 98 games from mid-April until Aug. 16 with a left rib strain. He has started the past three opening days at first base for Boston.
“Horrible. Obviously, we’re all thinking of him. Hoping for the best. You hate to see it,” Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman said. “We’re a big family in here. To see one of your guys go down is tough.”
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Boston Red Sox's Triston Casas lies on the field after an apparent injury during the second inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins at Fenway Park, Friday, May 2, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Boston Red Sox's Triston Casas is transported off the field on a stretcher after an apparent injury during the second inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins at Fenway Park, Friday, May 2, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Boston Red Sox's Triston Casas lies on the field while comforted by manager Alex Cora (13) after an apparent injury during the second inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins at Fenway Park, Friday, May 2, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Enzo Maresca left his post as Chelsea head coach on Thursday after a reported deterioration in his relationship with the Premier League club’s hierarchy.
The Italian coach was midway through his second season in charge. In his first season, he won the Conference League and Club World Cup.
Last month, Maresca said he had experienced his “worst” 48 hours at Chelsea and expressed his unhappiness at a lack of support at the club, but didn’t go into specific reasons.
Chelsea is in fifth place in the Premier League, but has won just one of its last seven league matches, and has advanced to the English League Cup semifinals, where it will play Arsenal over two legs.
“With key objectives still to play for across four competitions including qualification for Champions League football," Chelsea said in a statement, "Enzo and the club believe a change gives the team the best chance of getting the season back on track.”
Chelsea is coming off a 2-2 home draw against Bournemouth in the league on Tuesday, and next plays second-place Manchester City away on Sunday.
The club said Chelsea's achievements under Maresca “will remain an important part of the club’s recent history, and we thank him for his contributions to the club.”
There was no immediate word on his potential successor, with Chelsea seeking a fifth full-time manager since the takeover of the club by American investors, fronted by Todd Boehly, in May 2022.
In the past 3 1/2 years, Chelsea has spent hundreds of million of pounds (dollars) in what looked from the outside a chaotic bid to sign players to refresh its squad. It now has one of the youngest and most talented squads in the Premier League, with star players including Cole Palmer, Enzo Fernandez and Estevao, but managers have struggled to get the players to gel as a team after so many changes.
Out of all the managers to have led Chelsea in that period — and they include Thomas Tuchel and Mauricio Pochettino, the current coaches of England and the United States, respectively — Maresca appeared to have handled the chaos the best.
Yet he reportedly didn't feel appreciated given the tough working conditions and, according to the BBC, recently switched agents. A few weeks ago, media reports in England linked Maresca with a possible move to Man City — where he briefly worked under Pep Guardiola — should Guardiola eventually leave, though Maresca played the reports down.
Chelsea's results have taken a downturn in recent weeks, since a 3-0 win over Barcelona in the Champions League in November.
The team's only league win in the past month was a 2-0 over Everton. There have been draws with Arsenal, Newcastle and Bournemouth (twice) and losses to Leeds and Aston Villa.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
FILE - Chelsea's head coach Enzo Maresca reacts during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Atalanta and Chelsea, in Bergamo, Italy, on Dec. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni, File)
FILE - Chelsea's head coach Enzo Maresca sits on a bench ahead of the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Qarabag and Chelsea in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Nov. 5, 2025. (AP Photo, File)
Chelsea's head coach Enzo Maresca, left, gives instructions to Estevao during the English Premier League soccer match between Chelsea and Bournemouth in London, England, Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
