Kyle Hightower, The Associated Press
BOSTON — Boston Red Sox infielder Trevor Story has had surgery on his right elbow and all indications are that he will miss a significant portion of the 2023 season, if not all of it.
These developments will delay the Red Sox’s plans to move Story to the shortstop position where he would have replaced star player Xander Bogaerts.
Chaim Bloom, chief baseball officer for the Red Sox, said Tuesday that Story underwent an internal orthopedic procedure on his right ulnar collateral ligament.
The procedure is less drastic than full ligament reconstruction, dubbed the Tommy John operation, which usually leads to a one-year rehabilitation period.
“I certainly wouldn’t rule out a return to play in the 2023 season,” Bloom said at a press conference the day after the surgery, performed by Texas Rangers doctor Keith Meister.
“But that’s also not a scenario we want to bet on at this stage,” he added.
Bloom explained that Story suffered elbow pain just before Christmas as he ramped up his workouts to prepare for the upcoming season.
The internal orthopedic procedure is a more recent innovation than the ligament reconstruction performed in 1974 on John, a former left-handed pitcher who enjoyed a 26-year Major League career between 1963 and 1989.
Also, it has not been the subject of an evaluation allowing to estimate the return time of Story. Washington Nationals reliever Sean Doolittle underwent a similar procedure last July, ending his season.
Losing Story for a significant period is a blow to the Red Sox, who saw Bogaerts sign a $280 million, 11-year contract with the San Diego Padres last month.
During six seasons with the Colorado Rockies, Story was invited to the All-Star Game twice as a shortstop.
“This was a question where we didn’t have a definitive answer, where nothing was cast in stone,” Bloom said.
“He was preparing to play shortstop. His hope was that if Xander left, it would be an opportunity given to him. That’s what he was thinking.”
In 2022, in his first season with the Red Sox, Story appeared in 94 games at second base. He posted a .238 batting average with 16 home runs and 66 RBIs. Along the way, he suffered injuries to a wrist and a heel.
The Red Sox finished last in the American League East Division in 2022.
“When Trevor was on the court, we were a playoff-caliber team,” Bloom said.
“Despite all the ups and downs he’s had this season, he’s shown why we brought him here. (…) We remain enthralled by that. But it’s a shame to have to wait.”
