Red Sox News: Boston acquires Garrett Cooper from Cubs in wake of Triston Casas' injury
Boston Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas abruptly left last Saturday's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He seemed to have hurt himself on a swing, and an MRI revealed he had fractured a rib.
Casas will be out for some time, and there is no telling when he could return with no timetable set. With a hole at first base, the team decided to go out and acquire Garrett Cooper from the Chicago Cubs, per MassLive.com's Chris Cortillo.
Cooper was recently designated for assignment by Chicago earlier in the week. While he was doing well with the club, the acquisition of Michael Busch has seriously cut his playing time down.
In 12 games, Cooper hit .270/.341/.432 with a double, a triple, and a home run. He will now get his chance in Boston after the club was interested in him during the offseason.
The Red Sox could send Bobby Dalbec down to figure it out at the plate
When Triston Casas went down with his rib injury, the Red Sox used Bobby Dalbec. However, the slugger is ice-cold at the plate, hitting just .093 over the course of 18 games.
This is largely why Boston went out and acquired Garrett Cooper from the Cubs for cash considerations. They could not keep running Dalbec out there in good faith, and the club may think about sending him down.
Outside of first base, Cooper can also play both corner outfield positions and can be used as a DH. He will likely take over first base but still gives manager Alex Cora some flexibility. He could be with the club as early as Sunday.
Cooper could be a great addition to a club that sits three games behind the Baltimore Orioles who lead the AL East.