Trevor Story

With Story out 10 days, and possibly longer, the Red Sox's options at shortstop include Pablo Reyes, David Hamilton and others.

The Red Sox were the worst defensive team in baseball by some measures in 2023, and one of the worst of the Statcast era.

Plus: City Connect jersey dominance; revisiting the Christian Vázquez trade.

The Red Sox are now as whole as they've been all season. Can they still make a run?

“I think it’s fair to say (Kiké Hernández's) defense at short was a surprise based on the projections,” said a Red Sox official.

It's been a rough week for the Red Sox on the field and off, but a valuable reinforcement and a big win have raised spirits.

Despite being in last place, the Red Sox are optimistic due to some unexpected strong performances and key players getting ready to return.

Now that the Red Sox have other shortstop options, Kiké Hernández's unsuccessful tenure at the position seems to be over. But what's next?

His timetable depends on, among other things, how the Red Sox feel Story best fits the roster.

Also, what will the Red Sox roster look like in five years?

Story is pushing to make a return as early as possible this season, while a number of injured pitchers are nearing a return themselves.

The Red Sox infielder is pushing to return in time to make an impact this season. This is his routine, and his day.

"I owe everybody," Sale said. "I owe my teammates the starting pitcher they thought they were gonna get."

"It’s not always easy," he said. If it’s possible to be vague and honest at the same time, Bloom straddled that razor-thin line Wednesday.

The Red Sox infielder was an option at second base or shortstop, but now he will man neither as he recovers from elbow surgery.

Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom said the team doesn't have a timetable for Trevor Story's recovery yet.

Whether the Red Sox make a big splash or seek a stopgap, they now need to replace Xander Bogaerts at shortstop. How will they do it?

In the first segment of this two-part mailbag, we tackle possible free agent adds and try to figure out the Bobby Dalbec situation.