Red Sox Suddenly Facing Questions After Trevor Story's IL Placement

Trevor Story heading to the injured list is a fascinating curveball in the Boston Red Sox's season.

According to MassLive's Christopher Smith, Story was dealing with a groin issue since late April, leading to the Red Sox's decision to place him on the 10-day injured list and recall utility man Nick Sogard from Triple-A Worcester.

Given the way Story was playing early this year, it's unlikely his presence on both sides of the ball will be missed in the short term. But there are some long-term implications here as well, so let's dive into the full implications of Saturday's news.

Red Sox's shortstop options without Story

The future of the shortstop position in Boston has been the subject of some debate, as Story slumped hard to begin the year. His .244 on-base percentage entering Saturday was the fifth-worst among qualified hitters, and he'd already made six errors.

Andruw Monasterio has been the Red Sox's primary replacement for Story early in the season. But Sogard can play short as well, as can Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who has five innings at the position this year, but no starts.

Where things get a lot more interesting would be if the Red Sox chose to give Marcelo Mayer, once thought to be the club's shortstop of the future, a chance to prove he can handle the job in the majors right now.

Mayer's defense at second base this season has been brilliant, and though his offense hasn't been eye-popping, he's had a lot of good at-bats and finally hit his second home run of the season on Friday night in Atlanta.

If the Red Sox knew Story was going to be out a while, they might choose to turn the keys to the position over to Mayer for a while. It's not as if he couldn't adjust back to second base if necessary.

Boston also has 20-year-old Franklin Arias, who is considered a better shortstop defender than Mayer, going gangbusters at Double-A early in the year. By mid-2027, Arias and Mayer could very well be the middle-infield combination.

So in short, there's a lot for the Red Sox to figure out, and putting Story on the IL is either a blessing or a curse, depending on how soon they were hoping to start making those decisions.