The Boston Red Sox have been stuck in the mud all season, and losing Trevor Story in mid-May only made things worse. But now, finally, there is some actual good news about the shortstop’s recovery.
Interim manager Chad Tracy told MLB.com that Story is making real progress. He is jogging at a good pace and has even taken some swings off a tee. That doesn’t sound like much, but for a guy who has been out since May 16 with a groin injury, it is a step forward. Story won’t be eligible to come off the injured list until just after the All-Star break, per Tracy.
Before the injury, Story was not exactly setting the world on fire. He was hitting just .206 with three home runs, 19 RBIs and 16 runs scored. That is a brutal stat line for a guy getting paid $140 million. But the Red Sox did not sign him to be a .200 hitter. They signed him to be the guy who hit .263 with 25 homers, 96 RBIs and 31 stolen bases last season. That version of Story is the one Boston needs back.
Timing is everything
The return date matters here. By the time Story is ready to play again, the Red Sox could be looking at a very different roster. The trade deadline is July 30, and if Boston is still hovering around .500, the front office might decide to sell off pieces and start looking toward next year. That would make Story’s return feel more like a rehab assignment than a real boost.
The team has not confirmed any trade plans, obviously. But the speculation is out there. And Story’s slow start before the injury just adds another layer of uncertainty. He has to prove he can still hit, and he has to do it on a team that might not be trying to win right now.
Can he get back on track?
Story has always been a streaky hitter. A bad month does not mean he is washed up. But he is coming off a groin injury that can linger for position players who need to run and stop on a dime. The good news is his stolen base success rate last year was nearly perfect — 31 out of 32. That kind of burst suggests he was healthy and explosive. The question is whether he still has that after sitting out two months.
The Red Sox are not going to rush him back. They have already been cautious. And honestly, at 15 games under .500 as of this writing, there is no reason to push it. Let him get right. Let him play in some rehab games. And then see if he can be part of the solution next year, if not this one.
Tracy’s update is a small green light. But for a team that has seen very few of those this season, it is something.
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