Followers of the Boston Red Sox are justified in their cringing every time they hear the name "Trevor Story." The two-time All-Star is playing out a gigantic conract that will take him at least through the 2027 campaign, but he has yet to appear in over 94 games in a season for Boston.
Story, one of the game's most prolific power-hitting shortstops in his prime, has been bitten by the injury bug time and time again dating back to his signing ahead of the 2022 campaign. While he's still managed to produce at an above-average clip in two of his three seasons on the Red Sox, the longevity just isn't there.
In 2024, the nine-year veteran appeared in just 26 games, missing the vast majority of the season. As it turns out, his long-term status on the injured list kept Wilyer Abreu, who just finished sixth in the AL Rookie of the Year race, from "spending a lot of time in Triple-A" this past season.
Trevor Story's latest injury struggles helped Wilyer Abreu's Rookie of the Year bid, trade value
Abreu, 25, hit just .127 with 26 strikeouts in as many games during 2024 spring training. He looked nothing like a player who was ready for an everyday role in a big league outfield. With so many quality outfield options suddenly ahead of him on the organizational depth chart, he found himself on the outside looking in.
Story's shoulder injury moved utilityman extraordinaire Ceddanne Rafaela from center field to shortstop and allowed Jarren Duran to step into center. This opened up playing time in right field that would either go to Rob Refsnyder or Abreu.
We all know how this wound up working out for Abreu and the Red Sox. Fast forward a few months and he hit 15 home runs with 58 RBI, a .781 OPS and 114 OPS+ in his first full season in the big leagues. He won a Gold Glove Award in right field (becoming just the fifth Red Sox right fielder ever to do so) and even took home a Fielding Bible Award after being the best defensive right fielder in the game.
As relayed by MassLive's Chris Cotillo, Alex Cora said on Abreu's performance, "It’s amazing. Honestly, if Trevor doesn’t get hurt, probably spends a lot of time at Triple-A. He didn’t play at the beginning. He didn’t swing the bat early on. Spring training was swing-and-miss, all that stuff, and he didn’t play well defensively. Even the first series in Oakland, when he played right, he made some mistakes."
In the end, Abreu earned two second-place votes in the AL ROTY race while also receiving five third-place votes. He landed behind Luis Gil, Colton Cowser, Austin Wells, Mason Miller and Cade Smith in the final ballot. But now the focus has shifted to his trade value, which suggests the Red Sox could get a nice return for Abreu while dealing from their outfield surplus.