Trevor Story Return, Infield Question Suddenly Close for Red Sox

It's only a matter of time before the Boston Red Sox are going to need to make a decision centered around shortstop Trevor Story.

Story hasn't appeared in a big league game since May 14, but his time is coming. Story kicked off a minor league rehab assignment on Sunday with Triple-A Worcester.

The return of Trevor Story is upon us. pic.twitter.com/2LUVu2xS4f
— Tyler Milliken (@tylermilliken_) August 16, 2026

Story went 1-for-2 with a run scored. The two-time All-Star played four innings at shortstop and made it clear afterward that he's feeling good.

Trevor Story Is Progressing

May 7, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story (10) throws to second base to start a double play against the Tampa Bay Rays during the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"Feeling good," Story said. "Good to kind of get that first one out of the way. Body feels good. Couple of long innings on defense. Good day to get the game legs back. All in all, really good."

Story also shared his "last box" that he has to share before coming up to the big leagues.

"It's mainly changing direction, all-out sprints and that type of thing," Story said. "The game brings out a different speed in me, and we've done all we can up to this point, so that's kind of the last box we need to check."

Trevor Story meets with media after playing 4 innings at shortstop and getting two at-bats (1 for 2 with a single) for Triple-A Worcester today to start his latest rehab assignment.

The 33-year-old Red Sox infielder says he feels good and is excited to get his legs under him.… pic.twitter.com/lFh4F2l90t
— Tommy Cassell (@tommycassell44) August 16, 2026

With Story's minor league rehab assignment officially under way, we have an idea about his timeline for return. Position players can go on rehab assignments for a maximum of 20 days. The 20-day mark for Story would be Friday, Sep. 4.

When Story comes back, it's going to be interesting to see how Boston opts to use him — and more so how it impacts other infielders, like No. 1 prospect Franklin Arias.

That's just over two weeks away at this point and his return will help. Andruw Monasterio has been consistently getting time at shortstop for the Red Sox over the last few weeks. Monasterio has been significantly better than anyone could've expected coming into the season, but Story will be an upgrade at shortstop, if he can stay fully healthy from here on out.

Story was dealing with his sports hernia injury early on this season well before he underwent surgery. If the Red Sox can get the 2025 version of Story back, he'll be the right-handed bat Boston needs. He hit 25 home runs, drove in 96 runs and stole 31 bases last year in 157 games played. When healthy, Story is elite. Boston needs that.

With Story nearing a return, that also raises questions Arias. The 20-year-old is in Triple-A right now and has been tearing the cover off the ball. So much so that there have been plenty of people around Boston calling on the club to give him a shot down the stretch in the majors. But would Story returning impact that idea?

It doesn't have to. Arias has gotten time at second base, as well as shortstop. With the Red Sox having Story at shortstop to kick off his rehab assignment, it's safe to assume that the club is viewing him as a shortstop still and not moving him around, at least for now. When Story is ready, they can easily plop him at shortstop.

Then, whenever the club feels like Arias is ready — if that's down the stretch — they could simply put him at second base. Then, you have a middle infield with both Story and Arias, along with Willson Contreras at first base and Caleb Durbin at third base. This would be the easiest route to go.

Eventually, the Red Sox will have to decide what to do with Curtis Mead when he's ready to return. But that's a question for another day. If Mead is able to return this season, one route would be to ride with the hot hand and use him, Story, or Jarren Duran as the club's designated hitter. This is because Roman Anthony is nearing a return as well, which will lead to an outfield logjam. It's better to have more talent, than less, obviously.

When Story takes the field for Boston again, it will significantly more likely than not be at shortstop. There are questions about Arias, the designated hitter spot and the outlook of the infield in general, especially when Mead returns. But these are positives, not negatives.

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