A young slugger for the Boston Red Sox is being reminded right now that sports can be as excruciating as they are rewarding.

Boston entered Saturday two games back of the third spot in the American League Wild Card race. The Red Sox bats have come alive of late, with Friday night’s 11-run home run fiesta being the most recent example.

Still, when Boston’s plate production inevitably returns to the mean, manager Alex Cora and Co. will once again be missing the pop that 24-year-old slugger Triston Casas provides. Casas has been out since April 20 with a ribcage injury, but his debut rehab stint with Triple-A Worcester Red Sox on Thursday signaled that a return is on the horizon.

For Casas, the rehab experience has not been easy; in fact, it’s been nothing short of brutal.

Casas went 1-for-3 on Thursday, but he’s suffering from intense pain at the plate.

“Right now when I make contact with the ball, it feels like someone’s stabbing me with a knife right in the ribs,” Casas said on Friday, per Jason Ounpraseuth of NESN. … “Right when (the injury) happened I felt like I got shot with a gun, so it’s dulled down.”

Casas has been participating in mental training while on the 60-day injured list.

Surely, the mental fortitude required to overcome the physical pain Casas is experiencing will only strengthen his mindset for when he returns to the plate at Fenway Park.