In a way, it's taken Triston Casas a mere two seasons to reach the top rung of the Minor League ladder and start banging on the door to the big leagues. Because the No. 2 Red Sox prospect suffered a torn thumb ligament two games into his pro career after being drafted 26th overall in 2018 and because the pandemic canceled the 2020 Minors campaign, Casas has had the opportunity to play against pro competition day in and day out only in 2019 and 2021. In both of those years, he got on base at a steady clip and showed impressive power potential, culminating in Arizona Fall League Rising Stars honors last autumn after he amassed 32 extra-base hits in 86 games between Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester and won a silver medal with Team USA in the Tokyo Olympics.

Jonathan Mayo: You've been in camp for a bit now and have a non-roster invitation to big league camp. How excited are you for things to really get going?

Casas: Yeah, we just started playing games, little five-inning intrasquad games, but we still had the same thing -- early reports, long days, lots of work. And the vibe has been really great. I'm looking to carry that over here into the big league camp with a little more staff and a little better players coming in. Hopefully, there are some games and some fans and some excitement, but, it's slowly starting to buzz around here and in the camp behind me. So, a little more action has been good.

• Red Sox Spring Training report

Mayo: I was going to ask you -- I would imagine there must be a little more energy around. Even though you guys are getting your work in and there's energy around the intrasquad games, it seems like there's a little bit of a different feel now.

Casas: Yeah, definitely. As guys keep rolling, and you start seeing some familiar faces and start reintroducing yourself to some of these guys, that's what it's all about -- getting acclimated with everybody.

Mayo: Can I ask you to reflect a little bit on last year for a bit? A lot of things went right for you, but did you have a chance at the end of the season to kind of look back and say, "Alright, I checked off a lot of boxes, and here are the things I need to work on?"

Casas: Yeah, I really did. It was a long year, starting in Spring Training in early February and going all the way up to Thanksgiving in the Fall League. So, in between that, there were a lot of stops, a lot of travel, lots of baseball. I really looked back on it, and I was proud of the way I handled it on the field and off the field. I thought I played well and, you know, handled everything well and took it one day at a time. So I'm really, really proud of myself looking back on how it all unfolded.

Mayo: Did you take some time off? Rest the body a little bit?

Casas: Yeah, I did. About five days.

Mayo: That's it?

Casas: I knew it was going to be a quick turnaround before I'd have to report back -- less than two months -- so I was excited to get back to work.

Mayo: The Fall League is often seen as a springboard not just to the upper levels of the Minors, but to the Majors. You hit really well there. What were your takeaways?

Casas: I think at that point in the year, I was at a really comfortable stage. I was at, probably, about the 500 at-bats mark, and I was just really starting to slow things down and seeing the ball really well. I had an idea of what I was trying to do with the plate, you know, swinging at good pitches and not missing when I got them. My approach was really simplified, and I'm looking to carry that over here into Spring Training, because I did put pretty good numbers up and I was feeling good at the end of the season. So I'm trying to build off that.

Mayo: Five-hundred at-bats, that's close to a big league season. Did you come off that like, "Alright, I think I could probably handle 162 games?"

Casas: Oh, for sure. I know in 2019 I had 500 at-bats exactly, so I know that's a good benchmark to be comfortable at. And hopefully I get the same this year.

Mayo: You were on the Olympic team, so let's talk about that. Obviously, it interrupts your season, but it has to be a pretty cool experience.

Casas: It was a little bit of a hiatus -- I think I missed seven weeks total, with the qualifiers and the Olympics -- but it was an awesome experience. It was a once-in-a-lifetime thing, something I'd never imagined doing. It's something you don't really grow up with aspirations of doing as a baseball player. So, getting to do that, getting to live in the village with all the other athletes and getting to play that high-level competition of baseball ... I hadn't really been in an environment like that.

It was eerie, almost, with no fans. But also playing for something so special, like a gold medal, and trying to represent your country as best as you can, it was an awesome experience. The teammates that I had and the friends and the family that I now have from that team -- that's the biggest thing that I took away from it, and getting led by Coach [Mike] Scioscia and the whole staff. So it was an awesome experience all around.

Mayo: Going back to when you were an amateur, you played third, you played first ... I remember seeing you pitch. Now, you're pretty much a first baseman. Are you at peace with that, or are you still thinking of yourself as a third baseman who happens to be playing first?

Casas: You know, my favorite position is the batter's box. But I feel like I make an impact at first base with my size and my athleticism. I feel like at third base I do as well, but, so, it's one of those things that I don't really mind where I'm at. I just want to make as big a contribution as I can, whatever side of the field that may be on.

Mayo: Do you think all the time you spent at third makes you a better first baseman?

Casas: Absolutely. I feel like the footwork is all transitioning in the same direction, and I feel like with a throw, you need to have a little better footwork than at first base, so I tried to get a lot of work at third and short and in batting practice move around different positions. And we've been doing a lot of work just making sure that my feet are staying active, and I keep moving and I'm staying agile.

Mayo: You guys have a chance to have an all-homegrown infield, with you and [second baseman] Nick Yorke, and [shortstop] Marcelo Mayer a little behind, and Rafael Devers at third. I don't know how well you know those guys, but it seems like to have a homegrown wave get up to Boston would be pretty cool.

Casas: Yeah, that would be awesome. And those three players right there are awesome in their own right. But we've got a lot of great talent in the org., and I'm really excited to see how everybody progresses. All of our teams are going to have really stacked infields. Those three guys right there, they're definitely the standouts, but we've got a lot of great guys who give them a run for their money.

Mayo: Last question for you. Lots of people like to make comps -- comparisons to Major League players. What's one that you've heard about yourself that makes you think, 'OK, that sort of fits. I like that one'?

Casas: I guess the one I get most is Freddie Freeman. I love his hit-power combination. And I get a lot of Joey Votto, as well. I'd say I'm a mix of both of them. I just try to be myself as much as I can, but I do draw a lot of comparisons to them.