Story (sports hernia) kicks off rehab assignment in Triple-A

PITTSBURGH -- Minor League rehab week officially commenced for the Red Sox on Sunday with Triple-A Worcester, as veteran shortstop Trevor Story became the first of three Boston position players to begin an assignment with an affiliate in the coming days.

Roman Anthony will report to Double-A Portland and play on Tuesday, while Isiah Kiner-Falefa will join Story with the WooSox on Wednesday.

How did Story perform?
Playing in his first game of any kind since May 14, Story flew out to center in his first at-bat and belted a single to left in his second and final plate appearance.

The veteran, who is coming back from a sports hernia injury that required surgery, played four innings at shortstop but didn’t get much action, fielding one lineout.

What’s next?
Following the standard off-day that all Minor Leaguers have on Mondays, Story will join Worcester for a road trip to Syracuse and again start at shortstop on Tuesday.

The Sox haven’t mapped out his schedule beyond that, and interim manager Chad Tracy isn’t sure if Story will play any positions besides shortstop on his rehab assignment.

“I think Trevor's going to do mostly short,” said Tracy. “[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.”

What are they saying?
“I’m glad he's out there,” Tracy said. “So we’ve got one out [on rehab] and a couple more coming, which is good news.”

What else?
Andruw Monasterio has done a nice job holding down shortstop over the past month, particularly at the plate. But the Red Sox didn’t get an established shortstop at the Trade Deadline, leaving open the possibility Story can reclaim the position he’s played for most of his career when he is ready to return.

There’s also speculation the Sox could call up Franklin Arias -- a shortstop ranked by MLB Pipeline as the No. 3 overall prospect -- at some point down the stretch. Story played second base for the Red Sox in 2022 when Xander Bogaerts was still with the club, and he did a stellar job there.