going against the grain

Red Sox star Triston Casas isn’t here for insecure homophobes who want to criticize his mani-pani

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Triston Casas running on a baseball field wearing a Red Sox pullover and winter hat, with a red glove on his left hand.

Triston Casas is fighting perception, and he’s A-OK with that.

The Boston Red Sox first baseman impressed in his rookie campaign, smashing 24 home runs and finishing third in American League Rookie of the Year voting. But Casas’ sweet swing wasn’t the only noticeable part of his game.

The 2018 first round pick also turned heads with his painted nails!

In a new Red Sox-produced YouTube video, Casas takes viewers with him to the salon, where he’s selecting a shade for the offseason. Usually a red kind of gal, Casas goes with green.

He always wants his nails to make a statement.

“I have a lot of love for the city of Boston and everybody around. I feel like if I can tie the nail polish into something positive, I want to,” he said.

As an adult, Cases says he uses his nail appointments as an opportunity to hang with his mom. They get together every couple of weeks, with their phones away and nails out.

“I just use it as an opportunity to spend time with my mom, a two or three-hour window every two or three weeks,” he said. “We get to bond, talk about whatever, put our phones down a bit and catch up. We use it as a little bit of bonding time.”

In addition to being tall and handsome, the 6-foot-4 Casas is a certifiable mama’s boy.

Where do we sign up?!

Casas, 24, is aware of the blowback. On social media, insecure men criticize him for his self-expression, and sometimes call him gay slurs.

But those barbs don’t bother him. Casas knows that painting his nails is no different than having long hair or sporting a beard.

He’s rocking both right now, by the way.

“I get certain looks about it, and people say certain things about it,” he said. “There’s a stereotype about it. People call me this and that, and say I’m this and that. But it’s so superficial, and doesn’t change anything about me.

“It doesn’t change anything about the person I am, or what I bring to the table. It’s just my video game character.”

And characters are always changing.

“I got my facial hair on me right now. I can cut it off in an hour and be back to my normal self. I can take this off and be back in character. It’s whatever character I want to be that day,” he said.

Casas isn’t the only male pro athlete who’s been making the case for painted nails. Last week, multiple NFL players shut down receiver Cole Beasley, who spouted off a vapid take about men putting some color on their fingernails.

A proud anti-vaxxer, Beasley often spoke about personal choice during the height of COVID.

Many people on social media reminded the former Cowboy of his hypocrisy, including ex-wideout Kenny Stills.

It’s apparent Casas, who’s entering his mid-20s, is from a different generation. Male athletes today don’t hesitate to stand out, even in conservative settings.

For decades, Duke men’s basketball players were known for being largely white and straight-laced, even bypassing headbands.

But freshman star Jared McCain is changing that. He’s a TikTok star who paints his nails and unleashes his feminine alter-ego.

He’s unapologetic about both.

@jaredmccain24

Great vibes on saturday

? original sound – bestspedup

That’s not to say Gen Z owns any particular look. Casas reveals he first received encouragement to paint his nails from his dad, who used to also flash some polish in his younger days.

Prior to last season, Casas’ old man asked if he was going to rock his nails in Spring Training.

The answer was an unequivocal “yes.”

“He’s like, ‘The game’s changed, and people don’t care about that stuff anymore. If you don’t do it, somebody else is going to do it, and why not have it be you?,'” said Casas.

It’s fitting that Casas, who’s expected to help lead the Red Sox into their next era, is prioritizing his appearance. The championship Red Sox of the mid-aughts prided themselves on pushing physical norms, from Johnny Damon’s Jesus-like long hair and thick beard, all the way to Manny Ramirez’s dreads.

“I think the game needs some individuality, some players to be able to market and say, ‘Look, this is the future,'” said Casas. “There’s bat flips, there’s yelling, there’s fights. Not to say we need more bad guys, but that’s what made those early 2000s teams and those late 2000s teams so entertaining to watch. Everybody was expressing themselves in their own way.”

We’re proud Casas is leading the charge.

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