The Boston Red Sox closed out a six-game homestand with a sweep of the San Francisco Giants on Sunday afternoon.
After the game, interim manager Chad Tracy gave some important updates on the status of Boston’s trio of rehabbing starters. Roman Anthony, who played in four games in six days this week with Double-A Portland, will continue his rehab assignment with Triple-A Worcester this week.
Trevor Story and Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Tracy said, will be in Boston tomorrow during the WooSox off-day to be checked out before they decide next steps. Both infielders spent the week with Worcester, and Tracy had said earlier in the week that it is tough to have three players rehabbing together on the same minor league affiliate.
The 22-year-old Anthony has been out since May 4 with a hand injury but quickly reminded everyone of his tremendous upside in his first rehab game, belting a home run and reaching base four times Tuesday night. He’s batting .273 across four games with three RBI and two walks, splitting time between left field and DH.
With the injury to his throwing hand, there may be a certain number of innings the Red Sox want to see him log in the outfield before bringing him back, but the real test was always going to be how he responded to swinging the bat, which has seemingly gone well. Tracy also noted that his defensive load may not be significant right away, saying that “he’s got to get on his feet and play out there, but I don’t think it’s an everyday scenario where he needs to be able to play left field every single day.”
Tracy wouldn’t rule out a return at some point during the Miami series, but it seems far more likely that he joins the team before the four-game set in the Bronx next weekend against the New York Yankees. Anthony will play in Worcester on Tuesday with next steps to be determined.
As for Story and Kiner-Falefa, Tracy was unable to provide as clear of a plan. He said that is possible for the two of them to be active on Tuesday but also outlined a scenario where they continue to rehab this week. Both have struggled, with Story going 4-for-21 with five strikeouts in six games and Kiner-Falefa going 1-for-13 with four strikeouts in four games.
The main difference between the two cases, it seems, is that Anthony will be a clean fit when he is ready to come back, but there is not the same need for the two infielders.
Allowing Anthony to continue rehabbing will help increase the chances of a smooth transition after such a long layoff, but he will likely return as the team’s leadoff man and replace the at-bats currently taken by Mickey Gasper and a struggling Jarren Duran. At the same time, there is not an immediate need for Story and Kiner-Falefa to return, especially if they are not yet showing an ability to hit minor league pitching.
The challenge with bringing the two veteran infielders back is that Boston has had success with their replacements in Andruw Monasterio and Nick Sogard, who have both earned their playing time. The only obvious player to be sent down to make roster space at this point would be Anthony Seigler. But after that the team would be pressed to make a decision between players who have been very effective as of late in Sogard, Gasper, or veterans without options like Eli White and Jahmai Jones, who fill important bench roles.
The Red Sox could choose to stretch the rehab stint of either or both players with rosters set to expand two spots on September 1. This would allow them to ride the hot hand with Sogard and Gasper while ensuring Story and Kiner-Falefa get the at-bats needed to be confident when they come back up.
It will be very interesting to see how Tracy and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow choose to manage the situation if Story and Kiner-Falefa turn in a clean bill of health, but do not currently present as the best option up the middle of the infield. There are ways around it, but it may be difficult to encourage an 11-year veteran in Story to continue on a rehab assignment if he feels ready to return, even if it is not in the best interest of the club.
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