In the midst of an offseason in which several key players from a season ago have signed elsewhere, the Red Sox announced on Tuesday that they would be without another centerpiece for the foreseeable future.
Infielder Trevor Story underwent an internal bracing procedure for his right right ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow on Monday. The typical timetable for players to return from such a procedure is four to six months, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
Story joined the Red Sox last offseason on a six-year, $140 million contract. He got off to a slow start and missed time due to injury, ultimately hitting .238/.303/.434 with 16 home runs and 13 stolen bases in 94 games.
Though he spent the majority of his career playing shortstop prior to arriving in Boston, he shifted to second base in 2022 and was anticipated to move back to shortstop following the departure of mainstay Xander Bogaerts to the Padres.
Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom spoke to the media Tuesday about Story’s procedure, saying that although the team is not ruling out a return to the field in 2023, “It’s not something at this stage we want to bank on,” per Alex Speier of the Boston Globe.