Report: Triston Casas' pregame sunbathing, napping rituals deeply bothered Red Sox veterans in 2022
BOSTON -- Occasionally, or even quite often, baseball teams endure some turmoil. Personality clashes are inevitable when a group of 25-40 people spends nine hours together for a 162-game season.
The reasons for those conflicts vary. But an issue that hit the 2022 Boston Red Sox may be the first of its kind.
As chronicled by Chris Cotillo of MassLive, several veteran Red Sox players had an issue with rookie Triston Casas' pregame rituals, which included sunbathing and napping. A big issue.
"On numerous occasions, veterans loudly expressed their displeasure with Casas' routine," Cotillo wrote. "That caused tension within a clubhouse that was playing out the string of a last-place season."
Cotillo added: "Throughout September, veteran players took issue with Casas' pregame routine, which included pregame naps in the clubhouse in addition to the sunbathing. Those veterans, on numerous occasions, voiced their displeasure. There were, in Casas' words, 'clashes,' about how he should act."
The story also shares a quote from an unnamed veteran pitcher who saw a shirtless Casas sunbathing before his major league debut. That pitcher reacted by saying, "Are you [bleeping] kidding me?" That quote had been shared last year by Sean McAdam.
Triston Casas is spending his first morning in the big leagues with his shirt off, sunning himself on the outfield grass. One Red Sox player exited the dugout, took in the scene, and shouted: “Are you (expletive) kidding me??” pic.twitter.com/bByybeMhxO
— Sean McAdam (@Sean_McAdam) September 4, 2022
According to Cotillo, Casas developed the pregame routine during his minor league career, and he never an into any issues. It was only upon his call-up to the big leagues in early September that he met resistance from teammates.
The pregame activities caught the attention of the media right away, with the shirtless stretching routine getting publicity after Casas' debut.
"I don't necessarily like caffeine. I don't drink coffee or energy drinks. I feel better after I get some sunlight on my body, and that's what I do," Casas explained at the time.
— Red Sox Stats (@redsoxstats) September 4, 2022
In Cotillo's story, Casas said he appreciated that the veterans spoke up to try to get him to prepare "the right way," as he said he never intended to upset the apple cart. So moving forward, he'll be adjusting his pregame rituals so that they do not interfere with anybody else's preparation.
On the one hand, this is a story that is just so typical baseball. Veteran players have been "policing" younger players since the 1800s, so the reaction of that appalled veteran pitcher was anything but surprising.
Yet, outside of the strange norms and history of baseball players, this is an utterly absurd story. And the fact that professional baseball players felt the need to "loudly" express their disproval of a young player sunbathing on the baseball field might help explain how and why the Red Sox went 12-16 after Casas was called up to the major leagues and 78-84 overall on the season.
You can email Michael Hurley or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.