With Trevor Story injured, can the Red Sox survive the season without him?
BOSTON — Trevor Story could prove to be the missing Jenga piece that sinks this 2024 season for the Red Sox.
He’s bound for surgery on his left shoulder and done for the next six months, effectively ending his campaign before taking the field at Fenway Park. Boston’s infield replacements staggered their way through a 7-1 loss to the Orioles on Tuesday, and their outfield counterparts didn’t fare much better.
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The home team was charged with just two errors, and that was rather generous from the official scorer. Rafael Devers and David Hamilton — on a much more difficult chance, to be fair — both put leather on grounders that wound up going for base hits. Jarren Duran’s dropped fly in left and Hamilton’s missed bouncer later in the game both hit the least desired column of the line score.
“We’ve got to move on,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “I know it sounds hard but this is the nature of the game.
“We’re going to miss [Story] as a leader, as a player, as a base runner, as a defender and as a hitter — but we have to.”
Story is on the injured list for the fourth time since signing with the Red Sox as a free agent in March 2022. It’s certainly not his fault or his wish that his body continues to betray him. But it is an organizational price Boston will continue to pay for its decisions at such a key spot in the field.
Hamilton was a minus player in outs above average at the position during his short debut in 2023 and it seems a stretch to hope he’ll suddenly become dependable now. Pablo Reyes was acquired from the Athletics for cash considerations and Romy Gonzalez was a waiver claim from the White Sox — both of those teams could be destined for 100 losses this season. Marcelo Mayer missed time in the minor leagues last year with a shoulder injury and isn’t ready for a promotion.
“We were confident he was going to stay healthy throughout the season and do the things he’s done in the past,” Cora said of Story. “Now this is where we’re at.”
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Story’s absence further exposes Devers, who has been a streaky fielder at third base throughout his time with the Red Sox. Enmanuel Valdez started at second base on Tuesday and has had his own struggles — another minus player in terms of defensive outs above average last season. Vaughn Grissom could take some reps at both positions when he returns from a hamstring injury, but he’s not an immediate elite option at either one.
Ceddanne Rafaela has a background at Story’s position and could be a stopgap, but moving him from center field plugs one hole while opening another. He’s the most natural fit there from a group that includes Duran, Tyler O’Neill, Wilyer Abreu and Rob Refsnyder. The bridge between Jackie Bradley Jr. and Rafaela was a shaky one as Kiké Hernandez, Adam Duvall and Duran weren’t ideal long-term fits to anchor an outfield defense.
“We’ve got to go,” Cora said. “We’ve got goals, and they’re our goals. We’re going to keep pushing for them.
“It was a bad day today. We’ve got to turn the page tomorrow.”
Can they? There is a fine line between building successfully and seeing it all crash down. Sometimes the difference is a lone missing piece.
On X: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Story's injury further exposes Rafael Devers at third base
