Casas turning the corner after slow start

Sep. 27—Monday night was a tough watch for Red Sox fans. Between the one hour and 40 minute rain delay, the five home runs and eight walks allowed and the continued bullpen ineptitude, only a small handful of diehards remained at Fenway Park by the time the 14-8 loss to Baltimore went final at 12:10 a.m.

Fortunately the Red Sox are long past the point where the result of one bad game really makes much of a difference. With the club officially eliminated from postseason contention the Red Sox have turned their focus squarely to the future, and one of the most important pieces of that plan appears to have turned the corner after some initial big league struggles.

Triston Casas is in the midst of his best stretch as a big league player. After batting .079 over his first 14 games with the Red Sox, the 22-year-old first baseman is now batting .307 since last Thursday with seven walks against four strikeouts. He has a .523 on-base percentage over that stretch, and even factoring in his bad start he still has nearly as many walks (13) as strikeouts (16) since making his MLB debut.

Monday Casas went 1 for 4 with a walk and a fifth-inning single, and he also reached on an error by the second baseman, which preceded Rob Refsnyder's three-run home run in the seventh.

"It's really good, I've been saying all along, the results will get there. He's got the approach, and it's a good one, so we're very pleased with the way he attacks his at bats and he's doing a good job for us."

Casas' power and plate discipline have been evident throughout his big league tenure, as has his impressive defense at first base. The trouble early on was his consistency and ability to make good contact, which has made his recent progress that much more tantalizing even as the Red Sox have now lost six straight.

The club will hope for more progress over the final nine games to finish the season.

Eovaldi set to return

Nathan Eovaldi (right shoulder inflammation) will be activated this week and will start two games at Fenway Park before the end of the regular season, Alex Cora said prior to Monday's game. Though Cora wouldn't confirm exactly which dates Eovaldi will start, he said one would be this week and the other next week, indicating he'll take the hill against the Baltimore Orioles and Tampa Bay Rays. Eovaldi is a pending free agent, meaning these two starts could be his last in a Red Sox uniform.

Whitlock undergoes surgery

Garrett Whitlock underwent successful right hip arthroscopy surgery in New York on Monday, addressing an issue that has plagued the right-hander throughout the season. The surgery was performed by Dr. Bryan Kelly at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York and Whitlock is expected to be ready for the start of the 2023 season.

Email: mcerullo@northofboston.com. Twitter: @MacCerullo.