Boston Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story remains on a Triple-A rehabilitation assignment following sports hernia surgery in May. Facing an impending roster deadline ahead of Friday’s series against the New York Yankees, Boston must evaluate his readiness after recent offensive struggles.
Story went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts on Wednesday, leaving him 4-for-29 with ten strikeouts, one walk, and no extra-base hits during his rehab stint. Before undergoing surgery, he posted a .206 batting average and a .547 OPS across his regular-season appearances. Assessing his timing at the plate, Story said: “Overall, feeling really good… I’m on [time with] the barrel, just a touch off [on squaring pitches]. [It’s] to be expected,” He added: “I think more than the results, it’s more about how I’m feeling and kind of dictating the at-bat. And I’m in a good spot there. So, next day or two, hit some barrels and feel good about [returning].”
The Red Sox have prospered in his absence. Since Story was placed on the injured list, Boston has logged a 55-35 record to climb into Wild Card contention.
Middle infielders including Andruw Monasterio, Nick Sogard, and Anthony Seigler have stabilized the defense after injuries to Isiah Kiner-Falefa and the trade of Marcelo Mayer. Acknowledging the contribution of his replacement teammates, Story noted: “It’s given us a little bit of a cushion to, if I don’t feel 100 percent sharp, it’s okay to take a couple extra and really make sure that the body feels good. And I feel like I owe it to the team, owe it to myself, everybody involved with this thing to come back and be the best version of myself.”
Boston management faces an immediate decision regarding whether to activate Story, wait for rosters to expand on September 1, or clear space on the 40-man roster. Addressing the upcoming roster decisions ahead of Thursday’s off day, interim Red Sox manager Chad Tracy said: “Between that and figuring out if one of them is coming, two of them and figuring out moves, we have the benefit of an off day to try to figure that out,” Delaying Story’s activation past Thursday would rule him out for the opening games of the series in The Bronx. A final decision on his availability remains expected before play resumes on Friday.
