Trevor Story is moving closer to a Red Sox return, and Worcester is the next stop on the path back.
The shortstop finished a rehab assignment with Triple-A Worcester on Sunday, August 16, logging four innings while Boston was losing to the Pirates 8-3. Story chipped in a single and handled a lineout defensively, a solid step as he works his way back from the sports hernia injury that has kept him sidelined since May 14 and required surgery.
He’s scheduled to start at shortstop again for Worcester on Tuesday, another checkpoint before Boston decides he’s ready to rejoin the big league club. Story has played in just 41 games this season and was hitting .206 when the injury interrupted his year.
The Red Sox, meanwhile, have gone from the bottom to the top during his absence. Boston has put together multiple winning streaks, including a 15-game run in July, and while August hasn’t been as kind, the club still sits atop the Wild Card standings and leads the Rays by 8.5 games in the AL East.
Story says he’s looking forward to being part of it again.
"I think we’ve shown what we can do, and we have some more key pieces coming back, so I’m excited about that. Excited to fit back into the mix, and the boys are playing well, and I’m proud of the way that we’ve turned this around," Story said to Worcester T&G Sports via Heavy.
Boston signed Story to a six-year, $140 million contract in 2022, and his best season with the club came in 2025, when he played 157 games, hit 25 home runs and posted a .263/.308/.433 line. That was the first time he had reached that many games since 2018. Before the injury this year, Story had already hit three home runs.
The Red Sox will also have Isiah Kiner-Falefa in Worcester on Wednesday, and the club plans to sort out the alignment from there. Interim manager Chad Tracy said Boston expects Story to handle shortstop while Kiner-Falefa works at second, at least for now.
“I think Trevor's going to do mostly short,” interim manager Chad Tracy said via MLB.com. “[Kiner-Falefa’s] first game, I think, he is scheduled to play second. But we'll stay in touch with both those guys as we move along and make sure we're seeing how they're feeling.
“But I think that's the plan right now. Trevor's playing short. Izzy will play some second, and then we'll adjust if needed.”
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