Red Sox second baseman Trevor Story is still dealing with some discomfort stemming from the right hand contusion he suffered earlier this month, manager Alex Cora said Thursday.
Story, who took an 89 mph sinker from Rays starter Corey Kluber off his right hand on an awkward swing at Tropicana Field on July 12, has been on the 10-day injured list for the last two weeks.
While X-rays on Story’s hand came back negative, it took until this past Sunday for the 29-year-old to start swinging a bat again. He took more swings on Wednesday, but did not do so before Thursday’s game against the Guardians at Fenway Park.
“He’s doing OK. He swung the bat yesterday. Today, nothing,” Cora told reporters (including MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith). “So we’ll see how it goes over the weekend. Hopefully, he keeps trending in the right direction and we go from there.”
Given that he swings from the right side of the plate, Story has had some issues when it comes to gripping and swinging the bat with his top (right) hand.
“Where it got him, it was in a tough spot,” said Cora. “The swinging part of it, the top hand, has kind of been hard for him to feel comfortable with it. (If) he doesn’t feel comfortable to go out there and compete with his swing where he’s at, then there’s nothing we can do.”
At the time he got injured, Story was batting .221/.289/.423 (93 wRC+) with 17 doubles, 15 home runs, 58 RBIs, 10 stolen bases, 49 runs scored, 28 walks, and 105 strikeouts through 81 games (342 plate appearances) this season. The two-time All-Star has also posted eight defensive runs saved, the most among American League second baseman.
That quality of defense, according to Cora, is something the Red Sox have missed dearly while Story has been sidelined.
“He had become the rock of the infield,” Cora said.
On Sunday, Cora did not give a definitive answer when asked if Story will require a rehab assignment. That could soon change the longer Story remains out.
(Picture of Trevor Story: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
Blogging the Red Sox 