ANAHEIM, Calif. — Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story could miss significant time after suffering a left shoulder subluxation diving for a ground ball Friday.
Story will meet with the doctor Monday in Boston. The 31-year-old is hopeful he’ll play again in 2024. He said there’s a chance he will return. The Red Sox plan to have a better idea of Story’s timetable and if his injury will require surgery after meeting with the doctor Monday.
Who will play shortstop in Story’s absence? Boston recalled 26-year-old infielder David Hamilton, a left-handed hitter, Saturday to take Story’s spot on the active roster.
“I think we’ve got some depth,” chief baseball officer Craig Breslow said here at Angel Stadium. “Obviously Hamilton coming up and being able to step in provides a left-handed option there. Pablo (Reyes) has got plenty of experience at shortstop.”
Reyes is a right-handed hitter and could platoon with Hamilton.
“We also have some infielders on the roster, off the roster in Triple A,” Breslow said. “So I think we’ll kind of evaluate the situation as it goes. But in the short-term we still need more answers before we’re prepared to deal with that.”
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Is center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela, also a talented infielder, an option at shortstop in Story’s absence? Or would the Red Sox prefer to keep him in center field?
“We’ve seen how impactful he can be primarily in center field,” Breslow said. “Obviously his versatility and flexibility gives us quite a few options. It’s probably early to say. We don’t know what Trevor’s prognosis is yet. We’ll know more on Monday. And I think we’ll be able to answer the questions of how we fill in his absence at that point.”
For now, the plan seems to be a platoon at both middle infield positions.
“We’re going to platoon at short, we’re going to platoon at second,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “We’ll be creative.”
The Red Sox promoted Hamilton over infielder/outfielder Romy Gonzalez because Hamilton hits left-handed. Gonzalez hits from the right side.
“I think the left-handed option gives us an opportunity to platoon a little bit more knowing that Pablo has experience at shortstop and hits right-handed,” Breslow said. “We think David is athletic and dynamic. Fits a lot of the things we’ve talked about. Romy does as well. At this point … the lefty bat made more sense.”
The length of time Story will miss might determine whether the Red Sox ultimately use a platoon or give someone the everyday shortstop job.
“I feel like we’ve got some depth. We’ve got some athleticism and versatility, guys that can move around the diamond,” Breslow said. “This is a tough blow even if it’s short-term. But I feel like we’re fairly well positioned.”
Story’s absence certainly weakens the infield defense. Story is an elite defender who recorded eight defensive runs saved in 314 innings at shortstop last year after returning from surgery on his other shoulder.
“I think we’ve seen the impact of his defense on the team, on the pitching staff, on the outcomes of games,” Breslow said. “It’s early and we still have a lot of information to gather. But I think more than anything, just feel for Trevor and the road he’s taken to get back here and put himself in a position to impact our club. So I think in addition to how it affects our team, obviously he’s a guy that wants to be out there and is super competitive and I think tired of the injuries.”
