Red Sox SS Trevor Story needs surgery on fractured left shoulder, likely out for season

Trevor Story's 2024 season appears to be over just eight games after it began.

The Boston Red Sox shortstop has fractured his left shoulder and will need to undergo surgery, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow told the media Tuesday. The timeline for recovery is roughly six months, meaning Story will likely miss the remainder of the season.

Story, 31, injured his shoulder during an 8-6 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Friday when he dove to field a ground ball hit by Mike Trout. The two-time All-Star was seen writhing in pain after he hit the ground and was eventually escorted to the dugout by athletic training staff. He didn't return to the game.

Story had an MRI on Saturday and soon after was placed on the 10-day injured list. He traveled to Los Angeles and was further examined by Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who discovered structural damage to Story's shoulder.

This is a blow for the Red Sox, as Story isn't easily replaced. The team signed him to be a big bat in the middle of the lineup, and they simply don't have anyone else like that on the team. Manager Alex Cora said Tuesday that the Sox plan to use a platoon at both second base and shortstop going forward, with Romy Gonzalez and David Hamilton mostly splitting time at shortstop and Pablo Reyes and Emmanuel Valdez dividing work at second. Ceddanne Rafaela and Vaughn Grissom will also see time at both positions.

This injury is an even bigger blow to Story. The former Colorado Rockies veteran joined the Red Sox after signing a six-year, $140 million deal ahead of the 2022 campaign and has had nothing but awful luck with Boston. He missed more than a third of the 2022 season due to hand and heel injuries, then missed all but 43 games in 2023 after undergoing UCL surgery. He previously dealt with a sprained thumb in 2019, a shoulder strain in 2017 and a torn thumb ligament in 2016.

Now his 2024 season is over after just eight games, and Story has no choice but to look forward to 2025.