Trevor Story’s recovery is giving the Red Sox a little reason to breathe.
Boston still needs more punch if it’s going to get back into the playoff mix and become a real threat, but the offense has at least started to show some life over the last few weeks. That matters because the pitching has already done enough to keep the club in the fight. The next step is getting more from the lineup, and Story remains one of the biggest internal names tied to that possibility.
There’s still no rehab assignment on the books for Story, but the update before the All-Star break was encouraging. The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey reported that he was coming back from sports hernia surgery “more quickly than expected,” and said, “Story had been progressing from sports hernia surgery more quickly than expected. Before the break, he’d begun throwing and light fielding drills,” McCaffrey wrote.
That lines up with what Boston was saying around the end of June. Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said it was “probably too optimistic” to expect Story to start a rehab assignment before the All-Star break, and that’s exactly how it played out. Story has not played in a game since May 14, and he still hasn’t started a minor league rehab stint.
The original recovery window after surgery was set at eight to 12 weeks, and the calendar is now sitting right around that eight-week point. Once Story does begin a rehab assignment, the Red Sox should have a much clearer idea of when he can actually return.
And while the numbers from this season drew plenty of criticism, the injury context matters. Story was hitting .206/.244/.303 with three homers and 19 RBIs in 41 games when he went down. If he gets back healthy and looks more like the player he was last year, that could be a real boost for Boston.
That 2024 production was a different story entirely: .263/.308/.433 with 25 homers, 96 RBIs and 31 stolen bases in 157 games. He was one of the few steady bats Boston had during its push for a playoff spot, and if he can reclaim even part of that form, the Red Sox would welcome it in a hurry.
For now, the important part is this: Story is apparently healing faster than expected, and Boston could use every bit of that momentum.
In Other News...
Red Sox Suddenly Tied To A Blockbuster Rumor That Feels Off
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Sale said he had committed to giving everything he had in what would have been his final season with Boston, a promise shaped by how much he felt he owed the organization after the injuries. He also admitted the frustration of not being healthy enough in those last years, which made the exit sting even more. Now with the Braves, Sales comments served as a reminder that for all the change, the bond between him and Red Sox Nation still carries plenty of unfinished emotion. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Suddenly Have A Rotation Arm Drawing Trade Interest
The rotation picture in Boston has shifted enough that clubs around the league are watching closely, and the Red Sox could find themselves with a movable arm if the right offer comes along. Patrick Sandoval has re-entered the mix after a long injury absence, and his return gives Boston another healthy starter in a group that has been thinned and then replenished as the season has worn on.
For a team like St. Louis, sitting near the Wild Card line and trying to avoid paying premium prices for a short-term fix, that kind of profile is worth monitoring. Sandovals recent first start back was encouraging, and with his contract and injury history shaping how rival front offices view him, he fits the sort of affordable pitching addition that can linger on the deadline market even as bigger names dominate the conversation. [Read more 🡒]