Is Trevor Story’s comeback from injury too late to salvage Red Sox season?

Trevor Story is on the verge of returning to the Red Sox lineup

Trevor Story is about to return to the Boston Red Sox lineup for the first time in over a month, but will it be too late to save his team?

After Friday night’s comeback win over the Tampa Bay Rays, manager Alex Cora confirmed that Story’s rehab assignment with Double-A Portland is complete and that he’ll likely be in the Saturday afternoon lineup:

"“He’ll be here tomorrow. We’ll take a look at him and most likely he’s going to be active tomorrow. He drove back (from Portland). I just talked to him. He’s ready to go. Just got to make sure everything checks in well in the morning and the hope is for him to play tomorrow.”"

Story last played for the Sox on July 12, when a hit-by-pitch left him with a hairline fracture. They entered Story’s most recent game 47-41 and in third place in the division; as of Friday night, they’re 61-65 and have been in last place for weeks. The Rays, Toronto Blue Jays, and Seattle Mariners currently hold the three American League Wild Cards, and the Baltimore Orioles, Minnesota Twins, and Chicago White Sox are ahead of the Red Sox in the standings. They’re eight games out of it.

July was an absolutely back-breaking month for the Sox, with 19 losses and only eight wins. And losing Story was among the worst of several injury blows to the roster. At that point in the season, he was hitting .221/.289/.423 with 15 home runs and 17 doubles across 81 games.

The Sox desperately need more offense. They’ve played 40 games without Story, and yet, until this week, his 58 RBI on the season were the second-most on the roster. He’s held the number-two spot in homers this entire time.

Over two rehab games in Portland (the third got rained out), Story went 3-for-5 with a walk, three runs scored, a double, and a home run over the Maine Monster. Still, it’s important to manage expectations. Story was frustratingly inconsistent before getting hurt. He was on the IL for over a month before JD Martinez and Bobby Dalbec overtook him for the team lead in strikeouts. Still, any hitter, especially one with as much potential as Story, will be a welcome infusion into this struggling club.

Fittingly, Story will make his return versus the same team that caused his injury, the Tampa Bay Rays, who are at Fenway Park for the weekend. Thanks to an enormous 3-run homer into the Green Monster seats by Xander Bogaerts, Sox beat the Rays 9-8 in Friday night’s series opener.

Update: Trevor Story in Saturday night’s lineup, Jarren Duran optioned to Triple-A

As Story takes BP at Fenway in preparation for his first game since early July, Jarren Duran has reportedly been optioned to Triple-A Worcester to clear a roster spot.

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