When should Red Sox expect Trevor Story to return?

The Boston Red Sox have struggled to find consistent production this season as they sit in the bottom of the AL East with a record of 37-35. One of the biggest frustrations has been the plug-and-play at shortstop in the wake of Trevor Story's absence.

Boston signed Trevor Story to a six-year $140 million deal in 2022, where the Sox had hoped for Story to be the full-time shortstop. This past off-season the team announced that Story had undergone surgery on his right elbow to repair a ulnar collateral ligament.

The team placed Trevor Story on the 60-day IL to start the season which seemed grim but luckily Story was able to avoid a potential Tommy John surgery. The Sox have juggled a few options at shortstop in the meantime turning to Kiké Hernández and Pablo Reyes.

The production at shortstop has been shaky with Hernández batting .226 with 50 hits, 28 RBI, and 6 homers. Things have not come easy at shortstop for Hernandez as he leads the MLB in errors with 13 errors on the season. The struggles prompted the Sox to make a swift change where they have shifted to Pablo Reyes who has boosted the play giving the team a .271 batting average, 13 hits, and six RBI in 48 plate appearances.

Story was able to give a bit of insight recently when asked about the possibility of returning sooner than expected.

Trevor Story injury update

"“Arm is feeling really good and my whole body is in a great spot, so overall I’m feeling really good about it, I want to get back out there as quickly as possible, but I have to respect a lot of parts of this process and make sure we do it right first.”"

-  Ian Brown of MLB.com

It's clear that the team could use a spark from the 30-year-old, who gave the Sox 16 homers, 66 RBI, and 13 stolen bases last season for the team. Although the team has not given a specific date on when Story could return, he was seen making some throws from the shortstop position earlier this week.

Many have suggested that we could see the two-time all-star back in time for the all-star break. While Story's arm is a bit away from playing the field it's possible that we could see him in a designated hitter role for the team. With the team in a bit of disarray, the Sox could use Story in just about any capacity.