ATLANTA — The Red Sox put Trevor Story on the 10-day injured list Saturday afternoon after tests in recent days diagnosed him with a sports hernia, a move that opens a shortstop hole just as the club is trying to steady a roster already carrying injuries and uneven production. Story said he is still weighing surgery, which he said would keep him out six to 10 weeks.
The Red Sox called up Nick Sogard from Triple-A Worcester to fill the roster spot, and Andruw Monasterio figures to absorb much of the playing time at shortstop while Story is out. Chad Tracy said Isiah Kiner-Falefa is another option, and the club has even kicked around the idea of moving Marcelo Mayer to shortstop if Story misses an extended period.
Story said the discomfort began about two weeks into spring training and moved around from his groin to his hamstring to his abdomen, which made it hard to play normally even before the injury was formally identified. He said, “It just kind of got to the point where we’ve got to call timeout here,” adding that, “Obviously, I haven’t been able to really move like myself.”
That helps explain why the Red Sox had been giving him periodic days off while treating the issue as a groin problem. Story said, “We were trying to give it a break and trying to Band-Aid it a little bit,” and also noted, “I’m not going to be blaming it all on that, but it plays a part, for sure.”
The timing matters because Story’s season had already gone off track at the plate and in the field. He was batting.206 with a.244 on-base percentage and a.303 slugging mark, and had committed six errors, tied for the most in the American League at shortstop with Zach Neto. For a Red Sox team trying to keep pace, losing a player expected to anchor the middle of the infield is more than a minor roster shuffle.
Tracy said Story’s value went well beyond the box score. “Great human being, good baseball player, fundamentally sound, can move around the diamond, can hit from both sides of the plate,” Tracy said. “So he gives you options.” He added, “You know what he means to our team, his leadership in the locker room. He’s a big piece of the puzzle, so yeah, that part of it stinks. He’s meant a lot to me in my transition here, the way he’s accepted me and pushed other guys to do so. So he’s a big piece of it. We’ll gather more info and see what ultimately happens with it.”
Story said surgery remains on the table, but he made clear his focus is on getting the problem corrected rather than forcing his way through it. “The main thing is getting it right. I’m not so much worried about what has happened and more worried about problem-solving it and moving forward with the next steps, whatever that may be,” he said. The Red Sox will have to do the same, with Sogard arriving from Worcester, backup infield plans already in motion and the possibility of a longer absence hanging over the position.
Elsewhere on the injury front, Roman Anthony played catch with more intensity and the club planned for him to begin hitting Monday. Garrett Crochet completed a 35-pitch bullpen session and was set for a longer one probably Wednesday, giving the Red Sox a few scattered signs of progress even as Story’s absence forces an immediate adjustment in Atlanta.
