Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story inching towards 'huge step' while hoping to return in September
Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story will take a major step forward to possibly returning this season when he takes batting practice on Monday at Fenway Park.
Story, who was thought to be lost for the entire season following a devastating shoulder injury earlier this season versus the Los Angeles Angels. The veteran dislocated his shoulder, fracturing the glenoid rim, and suffered labrum damage while diving for a ball on April 5.
“It’s a huge step. It’s huge,” said manager Alex Cora to reporters ahead of the Red Sox series opener versus the Astros Friday night. “Where we’re at right now, I’m truly believing he’s going to be part of this. I just don’t want to give you a timeline and all that because I don’t want to put pressure on him. But he’s putting pressure on us, which is the great thing about this.”
Story had surgery a week after his injury and spent the first three months of his rehab at a training facility in Los Angeles. He has been working out with the team the last couple of weeks, including hitting off a tee and completing defensive work in the infield with coaches.
“He can play nine tomorrow, defensively,” Cora said. “He talked about getting a little bit stronger, the repetitions, the volume, and all that stuff. Hitting different shapes of fastballs and breaking balls. I think that’s a big step.”
Cora and the team will need to see how Story handles swinging and how he handles his rehab assignments if he doesn’t suffer any setbacks.
The 31-year-old shortstop went 7-for-31 (.226) with three doubles in eight games. Injuries have been the story; no pun intended for the shortstop over his three years with the Red Sox. In 145 total games with the team, he's batted .227/.288/.394 (86 OPS+) while posting a 3.4 WAR, according to Baseball Reference.
