WORCESTER – Triston Casas steps up to the plate during the final home game of the inaugural season at Polar Park on Sunday, September 26, 2021. (Ashley Green/Telegram & Gazette via Imagn Content Services)

The Red Sox just lost first baseman Eric Hosmer to the injured list. Prospect Triston Casas is hitting well in Triple-A. So why isn’t he getting the call-up to Boston?

Fans who subjected themselves to the Red Sox game on Tuesday night were treated to Josh Winckowski getting lit up for six runs in 2.2 innings, and also to an 0-for-3 night at the plate for replacement first baseman Franchy Cordero. The latter did draw a walk and score a run, but the Red Sox ended up losing 9-3 to the Blue Jays anyway. Cordero is now batting .219 with a .674 OPS, with just five home runs in 249 plate appearances this season.

Casas, meanwhile, has a 1.011 OPS in August for Triple-A Worcester. He most recently smacked an RBI triple and RBI double on Tuesday night, and finished a home run shy of the cycle.

So why isn’t Casas getting his long-awaited opportunity to step to the plate in the major leagues? The answer is simple: the Red Sox are staying patient.

At least, that’s how Manager Alex Cora explained it to reporters on Tuesday. He confirmed that he hasn’t even had a conversation with management about possibly calling Casas up to Boston. Cora cited injuries as delaying the first baseman’s development, and admitted that he felt good about putting Cordero back in the starting lineup.

“[Casas] is still developing. That’s my opinion,” Cora said (via Alex Speier). “He needs to get his reps, keep getting his reps, and keep getting better. He was off for three months. So I think that’s part of the equation. We haven’t talked about [calling him up] recently.”

It’s understandable that the Red Sox wouldn’t want to rush Casas to the big leagues and potentially damage his long-term development. Overall, he’s batting .266 with nine home runs and an .851 OPS in 63 games for the WooSox. Those numbers are fine, but they don’t exactly scream “must promote.”

The real issue isn’t the Red Sox being slow to pull the trigger on a Casas call-up. It’s that they left themselves in the position of having to field Cordero in the first place. Hosmer wasn’t producing at the plate and has already committed one fielding error since coming to Boston, but he still provided more overall value than Cordero with his veteran experience alone. It’s not Casas’ fault that the Red Sox are so desperate for better production at his position in the first place.

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Casas is the No. 2 prospect in the Red Sox organization, according to MLB.com’s official prospect rankings. Despite Chaim Bloom’s failures in assembling Boston’s roster in the short-term, it’s probably smart to continue to let Casas continue to develop with the long-term in mind.

The Red Sox take on the Blue Jays again Wednesday night. Brayan Bello is expected to return from his rehab and make his fourth start of the season.

Matt Dolloff is a writer and podcaster for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Yell at him on Twitter @mattdolloff and follow him on Instagram @realmattdolloff. You can also email him at [email protected].