BOSTON – Watching his Red Sox teammates dramatically change the narrative after what once looked like a lost season has only increased Trevor Story’s desire to rejoin his teammates on the field.
The first key step for the veteran shortstop – who hasn’t played since May 14 due to surgery to repair a sports hernia – is a Minor League rehab assignment. When might that happen?
“Yeah, we’re still playing it by ear here, but sometime in August is in play for sure,” said Story.
A position player is allotted a maximum of 20 days for a rehab assignment.
Story isn’t sure yet how long of a rehab he would need.
“Yeah, we'll see. It's about just how the body responds,” said Story. “I think [how I’m feeling] from day to day is going to be the main thing, and we'll see about the at-bats when it comes time for that. But yeah, more about just letting the body feel good and then get back in there.”
For the last couple of weeks, Story has been doing just about all baseball activities and increasing the intensity along the way. He is probably furthest along in the hitting department.
“Hitting is definitely pretty far along,” said Story. “I’m taking full BP and doing all that, and I think [I'll hit off a] machine this week. And I have no reservations about that.”
What will be the biggest test?
“Really, just the lateral movements and the sprinting are going to be kind of the biggest ones to pass for sure,” said Story. “Those were the biggest ones [while I was playing hurt], but I’m feeling much better now.”
Shortstop has been a revolving door since Story went down. Marcelo Mayer held down the position for six weeks before suffering a bone stress reaction in his left ulnar nerve. Days before that, the team’s shortstop depth was further compromised when Isiah Kiner-Falefa went on the IL with the same injury.
Of late, the unheralded duo of Tsung-Che Cheng and Andruw Monasterio has done a nice job holding down the fort.
When Story went down, the Red Sox were off to a brutal start that didn’t turn around until the last few weeks. But the turnaround – a 13-game winning streak and an 18-2 run entering Monday – has put the team right back in the postseason hunt.
“It's so fun; I'm proud of these guys. These young guys have stepped up,” said Story. “Willson [Contreras] has been incredible. Our pitching has been amazing all year. So to see these guys turn it around the way that we have, when really no one else in the world thought we would, we're still riding that. And I think, like Willson said, that’s not enough for us. We're looking to keep pushing, and I’m just happy to be here and be a part of it.”