A bizarre development came from the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday, as they announced infielder Trevor Story had internal brace surgery on his right elbow and will now be missing the start of the 2023 MLB season.
“Boston Red Sox infielder Trevor Story yesterday underwent a successful internal bracing procedure of the right ulnar collateral ligament (elbow),” the team’s statement read. “Dr. Keith Meister performed the surgery at Texas Metroplex Institute in Arlington, Texas.”
Speaking with reporters, chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said that Story began experiencing elbow pain shortly before Christmas while throwing.
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“In conversations with everybody, it was clear surgery was an option,” Bloom said via MassLive.com.
Bloom added that Story’s elbow wasn’t an issue during the 2022 season, and imaging prior to signing him to a six-year, $140 million, fully guaranteed contract this past offseason was satisfactory.
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Simply put, internal brace surgery is Tommy John surgery with a quicker return date usually for those recovering from it. Still, Story’s situation is an interesting one because his throwing arm has been a cause for concern for quite some time.
Story had issues during the 2021 season with the Colorado Rockies when he was playing shortstop — he’s since moved to second base. Scouts had some worries about his throwing to first base from that position, as he averaged 79.1 miles per hour on his throws via Statcast. In 2020, Story averaged 82.3 miles per hour on his throws, so there was a noticeable drop in speed.
Boston didn’t need him to throw that far, though, with Xander Bogaerts at the position, which shifted Story to second base. However, Story averaged 76.1 miles per hour to first bases while playing second and that ranked 61st among the 70 qualified second basemen that made 100 throws from the position in 2022.
So the Red Sox find themselves in a big predicament: Bogaerts is now on the San Diego Padres, and Story is going to be on the shelf for what appears to be months.
Bloom wouldn’t commit to a timetable for Story.
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“I certainly would not rule out a return sometime during 2023…it’ll take how long it takes,” he said.
Bloom admitted he needs to get back to work to figure out the middle infield. Elvis Andrus, Andrelton Simmons and Josh Harrison are options there. Christian Arroyo, an internal option, should receive consideration for second base at least as part of the solution.
Kiké Hernandez can also play second base, but it’s likely Boston keeps him as the everyday center fielder.
There’s also the trade market, with the Chicago Cubs’ Nick Madrigal, Cleveland Guardians’ Amed Rosario and others potentially available at the right price.
Story dealt with injury in his first season with the Sox. He slashed .238/.303/.434 with 16 homers and 66 RBI over 94 games on a Sox team that failed to make the playoffs, finishing last in the division with a 78-84 record.
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