The Boston Red Sox are on the edge of a roster shakeup, and Trevor Story appears to be the first domino.
Story, Roman Anthony and Isiah Kiner-Falefa are all scheduled to play for Triple-A Worcester on Tuesday as they continue minor league rehab assignments. After that, the timeline gets clearer. Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reported that Story will be evaluated after Worcester’s game on Tuesday to see whether he is ready to return.
"Story, who’s returning from surgery on May 21 to repair a sports hernia, will be re-evaluated after Tuesday’s game with the potential of joining Boston here in Miami on Wednesday or against the Yankees in New York on Friday," Smith wrote.
Anthony and Kiner-Falefa are expected to be evaluated on Thursday, when the Red Sox have an off day after wrapping up their three-game set against the Miami Marlins.
That leaves Story as the most likely candidate to return first, with Wednesday in Miami emerging as a real possibility if Tuesday goes smoothly. The club could also wait until Thursday’s off day to make the move, but the decision tree is already starting to get crowded.
The upside is obvious. Story and Anthony have the kind of bats that can raise the ceiling for this team fast if they’re producing at the level Boston believes they can reach.
Before his surgery, Story was hitting .206/.244/.303 with three home runs and 19 RBIs in 41 games, though he had been playing through the sports hernia for some time. Anthony hit .229/.354/.321 in 30 games before going on the Injured List.
If those two return to form, the Red Sox’s outlook changes in a hurry. What has looked like a strong American League club could start to feel like a genuine World Series contender.
But getting there means making some uncomfortable calls. Nick Sogard, Mickey Gasper, Anthony Seigler, Eli White and Jahmai Jones are among the players who could be affected by the incoming reinforcements.
They’ve contributed well enough that any assignment down to the minors would hurt. Still, with Sep. 1 approaching and roster expansion on the way, Boston has to navigate the next round of moves before then.
For now, Story is the name to watch. Tuesday will tell the story, and Wednesday could bring his return.
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