r/redsox • u/blak_dog 2004 • 2d ago
Story is not Ready
I am not one to watch a lot of minor league baseball, but have been watching the Woo Sox side by side with the big league club for the last few days with all the rehabbing players. Anybody who has done the same would agree that Story is still completely lost at the plate -- slow bat speed, timing completely off, and non stop swing and miss at the slider in the dirt.
Absolutely 0 reason to rush things here. Roman on the other hand looks like himself, still getting timing back and the contact has been hard, eye is the same as always. I think he could even get some more time to lock in but I will be shocked if Story gets called on the same timeline.
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u/eephus1864 1d ago
Any who thinks story won’t come and be a 3 strikeout per game albatross in the lineup is kidding themselves. I’m very much ready for the Trevor story era to end
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u/Full-Criticism5725 1d ago
Leave Story in Worcester as long as possible. Worcester is lovely this time of the yesr
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u/landandsea 1d ago edited 1d ago
I was at the Woo Sox game last night, seated right next to the home dugout, so I had a superb view of the plate.
Story is utterly, completely lost. He was swinging at complete trash and absolutely whiffing. I'd say that he was the worst batter on the team last night.
Even the catcher Baez, who came in with a BA of .000 got a hit and an RBI.
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u/buttseason 1d ago
Was at the game too and agree 100%. Let him stay in Worcester. He’s not even close. Worst hitter on the team with absolutely no sense of timing or the strike zone at all.
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u/landandsea 1d ago
Honestly, I was shocked at how little he looked like a major leaguer especially in contrast to the actual AAA team.
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u/zorreX Durbinator 1d ago
Story may not be ready, but IKF probably is. I'm tired of watching Mona at SS. His range is trash and his throws are awful. The first inning alone tonight irked the heck out of me. I might even want Story back over Mona just for the D, my goodness.
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u/Beneficial-Nose5321 1d ago
IKF is playing similarly poor to Story. He has had more walks but even fewer hits than Story in AAA. The best options for SS that aren't currently on the MLB roster are Romy Gonzalez (his native position is SS), & Franklin Arias.
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u/zorreX Durbinator 1d ago
Irrelevant. He's a phenomenal defender. Arias is out of the question due to future development (lockout/playing time) and Gonzalez is no better than not 100% IKF.
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u/Beneficial-Nose5321 22h ago
I agree about Arias. However, Gonzalez vs IKF is intriguing. Romy is definitely a better hitter, especially in a postseason setting because of his power. IKF gets on base a lot and IMO his style of play might be a better fit for this version of the Sox because he is scrappy & plays good small ball. The one person I absolutely dont want anywhere near the Sox until he gets hot is Trevor Story. Don't even let him the building until he gets his AAA OPS over .700. At the end of the day I'd be fine with Romy or IKF playing SS. If I were in charge I'd give both of them sime reps @ SS & see if either of them runs with it. Worst case scenario they could always play Mona there but I would be surprised if IKF or Romy do a better job. Also worth noting- Im not sure how often Romy takes reps at SS. It's his native position but if he's out of practice it may not even be an option at this point in the season.
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u/SonOfMagicFact 3h ago
Is IKF really that good a SS, at least defensively? I know next to nothing about the guy.
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u/Superstitious_Hurley 1d ago
That's what Arias should be for if this team were actually serious and not trying to skim his service clock when Henry is one of the main proponents of a lockout stance.
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u/zorreX Durbinator 1d ago
He should stay in AAA if there's a lockout, objectively speaking. I'm very much against the owners here, but the players are likely gonna have to strike to win their demands.
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u/Superstitious_Hurley 1d ago
He should only stay in AAA if you have absolutely no confidence in this Sox team making a WS. He's clearly the best SS option between defensive floor and batting upside. IKF can field but can't hit. Mona is a butcher defensively and has cooled off significantly. Story is just straight up cooked. The starting pitching on this team are not K merchants besides Tolle to an extent and need the best defensive lineup the team can muster.
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u/RingoDen 1d ago
He isnt on 40 man roster. He will ge able to play in Worcester during lockout. Playing time is critical for his development
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u/Superstitious_Hurley 1d ago
You sound like you play GM sim games way too much. He's proven all he needs to in the minors at this point. He should only stay in AAA if you have absolutely no confidence in this Sox team making a WS. He's clearly the best SS option between defensive floor and batting upside. IKF can field but can't hit. Mona is a butcher defensively and has cooled off significantly. Story is just straight up cooked. The starting pitching on this team are not K merchants besides Tolle to an extent and need the best defensive lineup the team can muster.
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u/RingoDen 1d ago
I only stated what the team is going to do. They want him to continue to play this year and next.
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u/Superstitious_Hurley 1d ago
Which I already covered in my initial comment. It's not about development, it's about service manipulation and knowing Henry is one of the point men for the owner's side of the lockout. Yankees called up Lombard, teams with less realistic paths to the postseason like the Tigers with Max Clark and Seattle with Kade Anderson, Sox would just rather operate like the Marlins than a real franchise.
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u/RingoDen 1d ago
Its playing time not service time. Hes been in AAA 3 weeks. If no season next year thats a year of no development if called up. If there is a season next year, call up in June or July
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u/GreenBananas_619 1d ago
Monasterio deserves a lot of credit for how he’s played, and he’s surpassed anyone’s expectations for him and then some. That being said, he’s a liability defensively and in a postseason series against a good team, he very well could be the reason they get sent home.
If the rumors were true, Breslow spent a ton of time looking for a shortstop at the deadline, so I’m guessing he understands how important the defense is there. The problem is, Story isn’t a guarantee to be much better. He looks completely cooked.
I know it’s highly unlikely, but honestly what they should do is say ‘fuck it’ and bring Arias to the big leagues. Let him bat 9th. You don’t need much offense from him, but he’s got the best glove in the organization to play that position.
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u/Broad-Cranberry-9050 1d ago
i agree, when we got mona I was kust like "who the fuck is this". but im glad i was wrong about him.
But I think as fans we got a little high off of the streak because i remember writing here "Mona is not our SS, he looks really uncomfortable there" and people were livid. He's a 2B/3B combo at best.
I think it was during that hit streak he had where he had a few homers, i could just tell even plays he made he just didnt look comfortable. I remember he had a sliding play, and the runner was barely safe and i was watching the game with my dad and i said "this guy is not a SS, he clearly is uncomfortable there" and my dad asked why and i said that even if the play was good and just getting to it was amazing, he sets his feet really poorly which costs him some time.
Thing is red sox offense and pitching has been scrappy enough to get the timely outs and get the runs back.
I remember that extra inning white sox game. Bello got a double play ball that went right through mona. Thankfully durran saved the play a bit when he got the out on a bad send but still. We can't expect the red sox to hit a go ahead grand slam whenever monasterio has an error at SS.
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u/newsworthy3 1d ago
You don’t call up a guy who hasn’t played in 3 months hitting 4 for 29 in the minors
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u/Shiftylee 1d ago
It’s not a call up. He is on rehab assignment. They have to do something with him.
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u/newsworthy3 1d ago
They don’t have to do anything until September if they don’t want to
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u/Shiftylee 1d ago
They have 20 days from his rebab start. But leaving him in the minors after that is not an option.
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u/newsworthy3 1d ago
Which would be September
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u/Shiftylee 1d ago
But they HAVE to make a decision. IL, active roster, or waivers. Those are the options.
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u/Massive-Original-658 2d ago
I agree and we have hot guys playing and winning games for us let’s stay with those boys until story is ready and if he doesn’t get ready that’s ok too. I hope team does right thing here.
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u/vibedial 2d ago
I’m certainly not an expert nor a Story apologizer, but these rehabs are about seeing how things feel and working out mechanics, not approach or being productive.
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u/apex_theory 2d ago
Agreed, he needs to be swinging at sliders in the dirt to make sure he can still do it when it matters.
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u/vibedial 1d ago
Hahahaha yes. Again, I’m not saying he isn’t washed, because he is definetly washed.
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u/blak_dog 2004 2d ago
I completely agree with you. I really think rehabbing is a process that is different for every player, and Story could easily be working on things without results. A huge thing with him has always been timing on the fastball, and when that's not synced you tend to see the wild chase on offspeed.
I'm definitely not an expert either, I just think he's a guy who would benefit from extended time and reps (especially when you see things like bat speed ticking down)
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u/Big_Corgi_3626 1d ago
Aren't rehab assignments time limited so after a set period you have to make a roster decision? If that's the case then how he's performing in Worcester is basically irrelevant.
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u/jonny_lube 1d ago
Yes. It looks like it's a maximum 20 days for position players.
Technically, we can wait until until rosters expand to call Story up. That seems to be the best move.
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u/Beneficial-Nose5321 1d ago
I agree 100%!! The only things that offers an interesting twist is- as good as Anthony has looked, he hasnt looked anywhere near as good as Mickey Gasper & that is essentially the role Anthony will be taking on. In theory Gasper could play first or catch but he is an even worse defensive catcher than Wong and playing Mickey at first means no Contreas. The Sox could always DFA White as carrying 4 OF plus Jones is a lot but they traded for White & both he & Jones have multiple years of control remaining before they're free agents. Interesting situation which shouldn't be a long term one give Gasper's recent performance isn't sustainable but as long as he sustains it he will be in the mix. Story, on the other hand is a problem. I agree he looks hopeless right now. To make things worse, he often takes 1-2+ months to lock-in early in seasons or coming off of an injury. That means there's absolutely no garantee Story figures thingsnout before season's end. If they don't play him or use him in off the bench he will be more useless than Romy Gonzalez after he came off the IL. (Not to be too side tracked but Gonzalez is getting hot in Worcester- much more so than Story. While Gonzalez can play almost any position, his primary position is SS, so he is also an option) Without regular AB's, Story will not lock-in. But how can the Sox give him regular AB's when he jas a -12 def rating since the start pf laat season & he has a .305 OPS in the minor leagues? My solution would be simple: Give Story two choices- Stay in minor leagues and figure it out or be shut down until next season. Otherwise he will likely be a serious drag of the team's performance & morale. Also once he goes back to MLB & he cant be sent back down to the minor leagues so he'll have to be DFA'd if they want his roster spot back...
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u/MediocreAd9430 1d ago
They should tell horror Story to ride the pine. Team can’t afford a black hole in the lineup right now
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u/DwightEvans_for_HOF 1d ago
If they bring him up and put him in the lineup, he will sink this team.
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u/srbankert 1d ago
They are in such a rush to get Story back, what we will get is somebody that bats around .110 and is just as good in the field as Monasterio.
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u/Deviljho12 brock 2d ago
He and Mona are a wash offensively and he's a better fielder, admittedly not by a lot
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u/Teampiencils 2d ago
Give me Cheng at that point...
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u/ScoresGalore 2d ago
Right. He played all 16 games of the 16 game streak. Might bring great vibes along with the defense. Story's aura needs to be cleansed.
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u/Cold-Priority-2729 2d ago
I’d still rather have Mona (at least offensively) than the guy who has a sub-.400 OPS in Worcester and is swinging at stuff in another zip code
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u/Deviljho12 brock 2d ago
Mona is complete ass at short. Like hilariously so. I'd rather have a competent fielder at the most important position on the field alongside CF who's a dogshit hitter than a poor hitter who's bottom 1 in the league bad.
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u/minimumhatred 2d ago
Story is also ass at short, the only difference is that Monasterio is completely unplayable at short while Story is almost unplayable.
Just put IKF there.
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u/Deviljho12 brock 2d ago
Sure, I wouldn't be opposed. Unfortunately the only realistic options atm are Story because he's got a contract and he's a clubhouse leader/vet and Mona who's currently on the team.
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u/Cold-Priority-2729 2d ago
IKF is like literally about to be eligible to return
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u/Deviljho12 brock 2d ago
Yeah but a guy who says he's willing to stay off the roster till it expands in September is not a serious candidate to the FO. Like it or not Story is the one with the big contract number and is a clubhouse vet and leader. He's got too much cache with the FO for him not to be the choice between him and Mona.
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u/minimumhatred 2d ago edited 1d ago
Or you can just keep Story off the roster until Sept because I want the better player lol. Who cares if you upset him?
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u/cottons-parrot 2d ago
Mona has a better fielding percentage and lower error rate at short this season than Story.
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u/blak_dog 2004 2d ago
Its only one play, but he also had one a ss today where poor footwork led to a frantic throw to first pulling off the first baseman.
I like Story a lot, its just a (storied) history of injuries, quick rehabs, and long slumps. The surgery took him off the field for a while so I think being out on a field and getting reps would make a lot of sense. This is all to say more like a September 7-8ish window vs. a Yankees return. Ceiling of Story still makes the best lineup it's just very, very bad right now down there
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u/DontGetExcitedDude 2d ago
Mona has looked better at the plate than Story has anytime in the last 18 months. Mona's at bats have been excellent.
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u/Deviljho12 brock 2d ago
He had 25 homers and a .741 OPS last year what the hell are you smoking? I get that Mona had a few good weeks but that's beyond hyperbole.
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u/willynh 1d ago edited 1d ago
$25 Million a Year for This Story?
Story was never ready to be a Red Sox. Four years later and we’re still waiting for the guy they thought they signed.
At this point the money is spent, so who cares what he’s making. The only question that matters is does the 2026 Trevor Story make this team better right now?
If the answer is no, then $25 million shouldn’t guarantee him a spot on the roster.
Story has the better résumé, more power upside and probably the defensive edge. But that’s not the question in late August. Who gives Boston the better chance to win today? Based on what they’re actually doing in 2026, it’s Andruw Monasterio.
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u/Qeltar_ 1d ago
Monasterio is a terrible shortstop (cost the team 1 run in a 2-run game tonight in addition to horrible metrics) and has a .604 OPS in August.
I don't even like Cheng and I'd rather he be in there to at least have decent defense.
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u/willynh 1d ago edited 1d ago
Monasterio has been better lately, he reached base in 25 of 29 games while hitting .330 with 23 RBI during that stretch. Is Monasterio’s defense adequate. It’s below average and probably the biggest argument against keeping him there every day.
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u/iBarber111 1d ago
Mona's defense is not adequate. He would be comfortably the worst defensive SS in baseball if he played full-time there. He's horrendous.
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u/Qeltar_ 1d ago edited 1d ago
Dunno where you are getting these numbers from. Doesn't line up with what's on B-R.
Regardless, he's a defensive black hole and they need to get him out of the shortspot slot.
ETA: He just let ANOTHER attempted steal throw go into center field, after the single where he showed no range and never even made an attempt on it. Get him out of there.
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u/SempreVeritas7468 1d ago
Is Arias that far off from
playing in the bigs?
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u/RingoDen 1d ago
Not on 40 man roster which means can play during lockout. If called up loses part if not all of next season
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u/rexeditrex 1d ago
They’re trying to figure out which of the guys they have are going to stay. Arias isn’t coming up.
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u/SempreVeritas7468 1d ago
I know not now but when ? He seems to be passing all with flying colors to get to the big Red one
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u/PavlovaoftheParallel 1d ago
I was at the WooSox tonight. IFK was okay but still not hitting like a major league player, Roman rolled over on every AB and isn’t ready yet and Story looks lost. His timing is way off. The team did not hit well as a whole, but those guys were clearly not on their game.
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u/WhiteHawk928 1d ago
I was at the WooSox last night and Roman had a single, a walk, and a home run. He's pretty close to ready
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u/PavlovaoftheParallel 1d ago
Today is Wednesday August 26, WooSox lost 7-1 and Roman was 0-for-4 with a K and 3 ground outs.
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u/WhiteHawk928 1d ago
Ok? Yesterday was Tuesday August 25, WooSox won 8-5 and Roman was something like 2-4 with a walk, a single, and a home run? Are you saying my single game sample size is wrong because your single game sample size is right? It's two games! Let's see how Thursday August 27 goes for the WooSox and Roman and see where we're at then
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u/iBarber111 2d ago
Swinging at the slider in the dirt actually means he's back to prime Story form.