Usually, the news that injured players have begun a rehab assignment is exciting. That hasn't exactly been the case for Trevor Story.
The shortstop got off to an extremely rough start in his fourth year with the Boston Red Sox. He batted .206/.244/.303 and struck out 57 times over 41 games. He also posted some ugly defense, -2 defensive runs saved and -3 outs above average.
Multiple players have taken up shortstop in Story's stead, including former top prospect Marcelo Mayer (we all know how that went). But Andruw Monasterio has performed unexpectedly well offensively throughout Boston's red-hot summer and his innings shouldn't be given to the struggling Story so easily.
Luckily for Sox fans, interim manager Chad Tracy has confirmed they won't be. Tracy has committed to giving some playing time to Monasterio, though he'll move over to second base to get it, according to Chris Cotillo of MassLive (subscription required).
The fight for playing time in Boston's infield will be highly competitive, especially since Isiah Kiner-Falefa is also slated to begin a rehab assignment on August 20. But Monasterio has earned his playing time, even Anthony Seigler surging and the better defender Kiner-Falefa on the way (though Monasterio has made some incredible plays of his own).
Andruw Monasterio has earned his spot in the Red Sox infield even after Trevor Story and Isiah Kiner-Falefa return
Monasterio has been one of the Red Sox's most clutch hitters over the course of their July and August hot streak, and even after. He's batting .261/.319/.424 over 87 games on the season but he's slashing .314/.388/.451 with 22 RBI (tied with Caleb Durbin for third place on the team) in his last 30 games. He has 12 doubles between July and August and the Red Sox are desperate for the slug he's provided, even if the ball hasn't been leaving the yard.
The Red Sox hoped Story would be able to replicate his production from 2025, when he slashed .263/.308/.433 with a team leading 25 home runs over 157 games. Story had never performed that well in a Red Sox uniform before and banking on him as a power threat was an incorrect thing to do, whether he fell injured or not.
Granted, Story's regression could've been because of pain from the sports hernia he had treated, but Monasterio has been giving the Red Sox more of what they need than Story has been able to deliver. Monasterio has played well enough to keep his playing time and Sox fans are thrilled that Tracy is going to keep him in the mix when Story and Kiner-Falefa return.
Add us as a preferred source on Google