The Boston Red Sox announced on Saturday afternoon that they would be placing shortstop Trevor Story on the 10-day injured list as they continue to seek opinions regarding a sports hernia that has bothered the starter since spring training began.
Interim manager Chad Tracy has called up veteran utility player Nick Sogard to replace Story in the short term. The skipper has already vocalized that he will consider several options at the shortstop position if surgery is deemed necessary for Story’s recovery.
Surgery would put the shortstop out of commission for as many as ten weeks.
Should Story miss an extended period of time, is it time for Boston to consider calling up the hottest player in Double-A baseball, Franklin Arias?
Arias is a 20-year-old shortstop who has dominated at every level in the Red Sox farm system since being signed as an international free agent in 2023.
In 2024, he batted .355 in rookie ball. He spent most of last season in High-A, hitting 21 doubles and recording 49 RBI in 87 games played with Greenville.
This year, Arias is dominating Double-A competition with the Portland Sea Dogs. He has a .349 batting average through 20 games. He has hit eight home runs and seven doubles on his way to earning a 1.072 OPS.
Arias has the third-highest average of all batters at the Double-A level.
Expecting Tracy to bring him to Boston without allowing him to get some at-bats against Triple-A competition is impractical. But perhaps the injury to Story could accelerate the 20-year-old phenom’s ascension through the minor league ranks.
More MLB: Trevor Story Reportedly Considering Surgery With Multi-Month Recovery
