The 2024-25 offseason has given Boston Red Sox fans a lot to look forward to in this coming baseball season. One of the most exciting is not the debut of a new player.
Trevor Story joined the Red Sox late last season after he recovered from a long-term shoulder injury and he's posted a solid offseason so far. Sox fans are excited to see how his defense elevates Boston's infield and how much right-handed pop he can bring to the lineup.
Red Sox Nation experienced a familiar scare when Story was scratched from Boston's March 12 spring training lineup against the Phillies. Boston held him on the sidelines due to upper back tightness, and visions of a 60-day injured list stint immediately flashed before Sox fans' eyes.
But Red Sox manager Alex Cora got in front of any injury rumors quickly and explained the nature of Story's absence.
“He’s doing OK. He’s just tight. He was taking grounders today, felt it a little bit. He should play tomorrow," Cora said to Ian Browne of MLB.com on March 11.
Alex Cora assures Trevor Story will be okay after scratch due to back tightness, but he remains out of Red Sox lineup
Story not in the lineup and listed as not available or in infield pregame drills after scratched with tight back yesterday https://t.co/sx7gnN4OoW
— Jen McCaffrey (@jcmccaffrey) March 12, 2025
Despite the skipper's assertions that Story will be okay, he's not in Boston's starting lineup for its March 12 Grapefruit League game against the Twins. Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reported that the shortstop is listed as unavailable and did not participate in pregame drills. Given his lengthy injury history, fans will surely begin to worry if he doesn't play for more than a few days.
Story has posted a great spring training so far and his numbers have fans even more excited to see him in the regular season than before. He's batting .458/.480/.875 with a 1.355 OPS, four doubles, two homers and six RBI in eight games.
If Story's back tightness is as minor as Cora made it seem, he should be back in action for the Sox again soon. But until he is, Red Sox fans will continue to fret about his health, as they're so used to doing since he joined the team in 2022.