Trevor Story may have returned to the lineup on Monday, but he wasn't truly back until Sunday in the Red Sox' 6-3 win over the Detroit Tigers at Fenway.
The 30-year-old went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in each of his first two games back in the lineup after missing the first 112 games of the season after offseason elbow surgery.
After ramping up on Thursday and Friday, Story made sure his presence was felt in a 4-for-4 performance with three doubles to close out the weekend, adding two runs and a pair of stolen bases (mere moments apart) on Sunday.
He and the Red Sox understand the ebbs and flows that will be part of his reintegration to the Majors after missing as much action as he did.
“Every single day in the big leagues is [a process],” Story said. “I understand that I missed a lot of time. There’s not much time for grace when it comes to coming here and playing and being right in the middle of a playoff race. Obviously, the results for the first couple of games weren’t very good. But understanding that the process was right, it just takes a little time.”
It's impossible to replicate facing a Big League arm in rehab assignments. After meek appearances at the dish in his first two games, Story felt it was just a matter of time before his timing came back as well.
"There's nothing like it in the world, facing the best pitchers every single night on planet Earth," he said. "So, knowing that the process is good, trusting in that and knowing the type of player that I am, those go a long way."
Boston's bats were much improved after a sleepy Saturday loss to Detroit, and Story led the charge from the start on Sunday. His double to right field was a positive sign in the first inning, which followed his on-the-run catch on a popup in no man's land behind third base, before his double to center in the fifth preceded an Adam Duvall tank onto Lansdowne Street. Story finished his day off with a double to left in the sixth, aided by the sun in Akil Baddoo's eyes.
Between the doubles, Story legged out an infield single on a hard-hit ball to short in the third before some blink-and-you'll-miss-it baserunning. He cruised into second, thanks to a good jump against Eduardo Rodriguez. Moments later, he gambled a steal to third, barely beating the throw and earning the favor of video review. Duvall drove him in with an RBI single.
“There’s a process and there’s adjustments,” Alex Cora said of Story's return thus far. “He put some good swings today on fastballs. Even on the off-speed pitches that he swung and missed on, there was conviction behind those. It was a good one. And he’s a force running the bases.
"Not too many people take off against Eduardo because he's so quick to the plate. He got a great jump on the first one. Took a chance to third, and he got there. Played good defense. The first play of the game was a tough one on the pop-up. It was a good day for us."
Story's use of every inch of the ballpark on his three doubles provided another positive to take away from a day full of them.
“If I’m driving the ball the other way, that’s always a good sign for me,” said Story. “And if I’m able to catch some breaking balls out front and maybe pull those, that’s good, too. I’m definitely happy with the last couple of days.”
Another was his activity on the basepaths, now sitting at three stolen bases in five games after he was 17-for-17 last season. Story knows Jarren Duran, leading the way with 23 on the year, will grab the headlines when it comes to baserunning, but he wants his share, too.
Trevor Story becomes the 3rd player in Red Sox franchise history to record at least 3 extra-base hits and 2 stolen bases in a game.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) August 13, 2023
He joins John Valentin (June 13, 1995 at Blue Jays) and Dom DiMaggio (April 20, 1941 at Washington Senators). pic.twitter.com/PMcD0aDzod
“That’s a big part of my game that I kind of missed doing that stuff,” Story said. “Honestly, watching Duran this year is, you know... I’ve always been inspired to do it, but honestly just watching him change the game and just wreak havoc on the defense, it was a big goal of mine, when I came back, to hit the ground running and try to catch up with him.”
The skipper feels Story's athleticism helps set him apart in the field in addition to on the bases.
"He's gonna run, and he's gonna put pressure on you," Cora said. "He's really good. Like, we've seen him play, the way he moves. Us shortstops, you know, we're like, 'It can't be that easy.' One of the things is like he's fast and quick. We see him running, he's very fast, but then in the infield, he's quick. His first step is amazing."
Story is just one of four important pieces making their way back into the lineup just in time for a last-ditch push at a Wild Card spot, a race in which Boston remains 3.0 games back of Toronto after the Blue Jays' big 11-4 win over the Cubs. Chris Sale had a strong return on Friday, while Garrett Whitlock threw two hitless innings in relief on Sunday. Safe to say there will be plenty of pressure on Tanner Houck to pop early on when he joins the Sox in Houston in the middle of their upcoming 10-game trip.
The Red Sox have hitched their wagon at shortstop to Story. The current plan is a return to being the everyday shortstop "will happen," per Cora. His arrival couldn't have come soon enough between the rotating cast of characters Boston has had in the middle infield this season, headlined by Kiké Hernández's woes both in the field and at the plate before being shipped out at the trade deadline.
Cora is hoping Story's resurgence will have a trickle-down effect.
"Hopefully, just like offense is contagious, defense is contagious, and they see him going about it the right way, locked in on every pitch," he said. "Hopefully, we can get better in that aspect."