Red Sox second baseman Trevor Story is not in the starting lineup for Tuesday’s series opener against the Yankees at Fenway Park.
Story has been dealing with soreness in his left heel since Sunday, when he grounded into an inning-ending double play in the seventh inning of a 1-0 win over the Orioles in Baltimore.
Upon making contact with the first-base bag, Story came up gimpy and was removed from the game. He was replaced defensively by Christian Arroyo, who will be starting in his place at second base on Tuesday while batting sixth.
Story, who spent more than six weeks on the injured list earlier this summer because of a small hairline fracture near his right wrist, does not expect to be out too long this time around. The 29-year-old told reporters (including The Boston Globe’s Pete Abraham) that he is day-to-day after banging his left heel. Red Sox manager Alex Cora also said he does not believe Story’s injury is serious and he should be by Wednesday or Friday at the latest.
Since returning from the 60-day injured list on August 27, Story has batted a stout .340/.389/.500 with five doubles, one home run, eight RBIs, four runs scored, three stolen bases, four walks, and 17 strikeouts over his last 13 games (54 plate appearances). He has also provided the Red Sox with superb defense at second base, a position he had never played at the major-league level prior to this year.
Arroyo, meanwhile, has been on a hot streak of his own at the plate. The right-handed hitting 27-year-old is slashing .342/.377/.488 with 10 doubles, one triple, two home runs, 17 RBIs, 15 runs scored, two stolen bases, seven walks, and 23 strikeouts across his last 32 games (131 plate appearances) dating back to July 30.
On the other side of the ball, Arroyo will be making his 26th start of the season at second base on Tuesday. In the process of logging 223 innings at his primary position this year, Arroyo has posted four Defensive Runs Saved and an Ultimate Zone Rating of 1.1., per FanGraphs.
Latest on Yu Chang
Speaking of infielders, the Red Sox claimed Yu Chang off waivers from the Rays on Monday. Chang is already on Boston’s 40-man roster, but the 27-year-old will need to be added to the major-league roster since he is out of minor-league options.
Because of this, the Red Sox will need to remove someone — whether it be by placing them on the injured list, optioning them, or designating them for assignment — from the 28-man roster in order to activate Chang.
MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo reports that Chang is not expected to join the club on Tuesday, so they are not required to make a roster move yet. However, it will be something to monitor in the coming days.
(Picture of Christian Arroyo and Trevor Story: Maddie Malhotra/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)
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