It's only been two games since his return from a three-and-a-half-month absence due to a sports hernia, but Trevor Story has given the Boston Red Sox a huge boost and is proving his doubters wrong.
In two games, the Texas native batted .500 with a run and three RBIs (including a walk-off single against the Seattle Mariners on Monday night). He also looked solid defensively, which is important since he was iffy in the field earlier this season (six errors in 39 games at shortstop).
A lot of Red Sox fans weren't excited to see Story back, even saying the team should just hold out on having him return (Andruw Monasterio had been hot since the start of July - though he is batting just .184 in his last 13 games -, and it's not like Story was all that good before his injury anyway - .206 BA with questionable defense and has mostly been a disappointment throughout his time in Boston). But it didn't take long for him to make an impact and prove that he can help this team compete in October.
The Red Sox need Trevor Story to bring his A-game moving forward
Story was already an important part of Boston's offense (especially given his hefty contract), but that's especially the case now since the team doesn't have a real backup option.
The Red Sox traded Marcelo Mayer to the San Francisco Giants ahead of this year's deadline (which has worked out well for them so far), and they can't trust Monasterio to consistently play a big role in the playoffs. On paper, Story is Boston's best shortstop, and having him in the middle or bottom of the lineup gives the team some great offensive depth.
Story was fantastic for the Red Sox last year, batting .263 with 25 home runs, 96 RBIs, 31 stolen bases, and a .741 OPS. He also showed up in the Wild Card, batting .385 with one home run and three RBIs in three games.
Boston getting anything close to that version of Story would greatly help its World Series push. Whether it is still in the realm of possibility or not remains to be seen, but it's not that far-fetched to think the 33-year-old still has a lot left in the tank, given that he was red-hot at this time last year.
It's an incredibly small sample size, but Story is already showing the Red Sox that he can still perform at a high level and help the team succeed. If he can keep this pace up, then the rest of the majors should be wary of what Boston can do in October.
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