Red Sox SS Trevor Story needs surgery on fractured left shoulder, likely out for season
Trevor Story‘s 2024 season appears to be over just eight games after it began.
The Boston Red Sox shortstop has fractured his left shoulder and will need to undergo surgery, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow told the media Tuesday afternoon. The timeline for recovery is roughly six months, meaning Story will likely miss the rest of the season.
Story, 31, injured his shoulder during an 8-6 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Friday when he dove to field a ground ball hit by Mike Trout. The two-time All-Star was seen writhing in pain after he hit the ground and was eventually escorted to the dugout by athletic training staff. He didn’t return to the game.
Story had an MRI on Saturday and soon after was placed on the 10-day injured list. He traveled to Los Angeles and was further examined by Dr. Neal El Attrache, who discovered structural damage to Story’s shoulder.
This is a blow to the Red Sox, as Story isn’t easily replaced. They originally signed him to be a big bat in the middle of the lineup, and they simply don’t have anyone else like that on the team. Manager Alex Cora said Tuesday that they plan to use a platoon at both second base and shortstop going forward, with Romy Gonzalez and David Hamilton mostly splitting time at shortstop and Pablo Reyes and Emmanuel Valdez dividing work at second base. Ceddanne Rafaela and Vaughn Grissom will also see time at both positions.
This injury is an even bigger blow to Story. He spent most of career avoiding major injuries while playing for the Colorado Rockies, but has had nothing but awful luck since signing a six-year, $140 million contract with the Red Sox in 2022. He missed over one-third of that season with hand and heel injuries, then missed all but 43 games in the 2023 season after undergoing UCL surgery. Now his 2024 season is over after just eight games, and Story has no choice but to look forward to 2025.