Trevor Story’s path back to Boston is getting a lot messier than the Red Sox probably hoped.
The club has spent most of the season patching things together without some of the key players who helped define last year’s core, yet it still fought its way into a Wild Card spot and emerged as one of the better teams in the American League. That’s the backdrop as the injured group starts filtering back through rehab assignments in the minors. Story looks like the first star ready to return, but his current form makes that a tricky call.
At AAA, Story hasn’t exactly made a strong case for an immediate promotion. Through 13 at-bats, he’s 3-for-13 with no walks and four strikeouts, good for a .231/.231/.231/.462 slashline.
That’s not the kind of line that forces a roster move. It’s also a sharp contrast to what he was doing before the injury, when he was hitting just .206/.244/.303/.547 on the season.
That’s why the idea of bringing him back has some fans worried it could throw off what Boston has built in his absence. The Red Sox had to lean on their depth when Story and Isiah Kiner-Falefa went down, and players like Andruw Monasterio and Nick Sogard answered the call with useful offense.
If Story comes back now, somebody has to pay for it in playing time. And in the worst-case version of that decision, one of those fill-in bats gets sent back down.
If Boston wants another boost at the middle infield spots, the cleaner answer might be Franklin Arias. He was crushing Double-A all season before moving up to AAA at the start of this month, and he’s kept raking there too. In 22 games since the promotion, Arias has hit .291/.357/.488/.846 with five doubles, four home runs, and 22 RBI.
Arias plays shortstop as well, and the Red Sox clearly see him as their future at the position. He’s ranked among the top four prospects in all the major lists, and if Boston wants help for an October push, he looks like the more natural fit right now.
In Other News...
Roman Anthony Is Giving The Red Sox What They Needed To See
Roman Anthonys rehab assignment with the Portland Sea Dogs has given the Red Sox exactly the kind of encouraging update they were hoping for after his right wrist injury. He has looked sharp at the plate, picking up multiple hits, drawing walks and even leaving the yard, a strong sign that his swing is moving the way the club wants to see as he works back into game shape.
Anthonys week in Portland also came with a lighter moment, as he crossed paths with competitive eater Joey Chestnut at a Sea Dogs promotional event. The performance is the more meaningful part for Boston, though, and while the team has liked what it has seen so far, it still has not announced when Anthony will be back on the major league roster. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Waiting On Curtis Mead Decision That Could Affect More Than Him
Curtis Meads first game with the Red Sox ended almost as quickly as it began, with the infielder leaving after being hit by a pitch and later diagnosed with a fractured wrist. Since then, Boston has been waiting on the next step in his recovery, and that wait is about to get a little more telling with a scan scheduled to check how the injury is healing.
Meads timetable matters beyond his own return window because the Red Sox are also tracking the comebacks of other injured players, which could force some tricky roster decisions. If the scan shows enough progress for Mead to have a chance to get back during the regular season, Boston may have to sort through a crowded picture at just the wrong time. [Read more 🡒]
Rafael Devers Finally Addressed How His Red Sox Exit Changed Him
Rafael Devers is still only months removed from the kind of Red Sox ending that lingered long after the news cycle moved on. Boston chose to move on from its third baseman after a stretch of tension and frustration had made the relationship harder to salvage, and the breakup became one of the defining stories of the season for a club that has spent plenty of time trying to steady itself.
In a recent interview, Devers addressed the aftermath in a way he had not before, saying the experience forced him to mature and take something from it. For the Red Sox, that makes the exit more than just a roster decision, because it also closes the book on a player who seems to view the separation as part of his growth, even as the details of what changed behind the scenes continue to hang over the story. [Read more 🡒]