Trevor Story injury has Red Sox missing Xander Bogaerts even more
This Boston Red Sox off-season has been the ultimate roller coaster.
First, there was obviously the big news of Xander Bogaerts leaving in free agency for the San Diego Padres.
Then, we start to hear of minor signings that will help this team. Guys like Kenley Jansen, Chris Martin, Corey Kluber, and others were helping the all around pitching slightly.
Next came the big news of the Rafael Devers extension.
Now? We have Trevor Story supposedly missing significant time in 2023 after getting surgery on his throwing elbow. This is the same elbow that caused Story to miss the last half of September.
So basically, the Red Sox get bad news on a guy they were relying heavily on in Trevor Story.
The Boston Red Sox needed Trevor Story after the Bogaerts situation
The first thought that come to me after hearing and reading about the Trevor Story situation is this: tell me why again the Red Sox couldn’t sign Bogaerts?
I mean really. This is now a situation where the Red Sox only shortstop on the active roster is David Hamilton.
Yes, I know Kiké Hernández can play the infield too. But we know he was brought back to patrol the outfield.
If you had done your job and kept Bogaerts in the fold, at least you could’ve had him play shortstop and Christian Arroyo play second base. That’s a fine middle infield.
But now, you don’t have that good shortstop because you didn’t want to pay for the one THAT WAS RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU!
Keep in mind, Story still has four years left on his contract after the 2023 season. So who knows what other issues will arise with this elbow problem. Will it get worse? It very well could!
What is the Boston Red Sox plan without Trevor Story?
So now with Trevor Story supposedly missing a lot of time in 2023, what’s the Red Sox backup plan?
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Could Hernández move over to shortstop for the season and a move for a guy like Bryan Reynolds occur? That’s an option, but I don’t see it happening.
Marcelo Mayer isn’t ready yet to be the shortstop for this Red Sox team. His timeline is projecting more toward the 2025 or 2026 season.
So the last option that could really bolster the position sufficiently would be a trade. The Marlins are a team the Red Sox have been conversing with on a frequent basis. See what it takes to get Miguel Rojas to Boston.
Signing a guy like Elvis Andrus or Jose Iglesias is fine. But it isn’t a longer term solution.
So again, what is the backup plan that the Red Sox will now have to execute?
Trevor Story’s injury and the impact on the Boston Red Sox
This is a big blow to a Red Sox team that didn’t need anymore bad events to occur this off-season.
Story was the big off-season acquisition going into the 2022 season.
Now? People will be calling Story a bust after an average 2022 season and a potential no-show for 2023.
We all knew the signing the former Rockies shortstop was a replacement for Bogaerts. But did it have to be the case? Right now, absolutely not!
So here’s to hoping Story’s surgery was a success and he’s back on the field soon. Otherwise, Chaim Bloom’s seat could be a lot warmer than people even anticipate it to be!