Boston Red Sox outfielder Kiké Hernández wasn't going to let a report kick Trevor Story while he was down after the second baseman landed on the shelf with an injury Tuesday.
Story underwent an internal bracing procedure on the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, putting when he will be back on the field with the Red Sox in doubt.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today put out on Twitter that a Red Sox teammate of Story reportedly told him that the two-time All-Star knew he needed surgery this offseason, but put it off in hopes that he could recover with rest.
Hernández believes that's flat out false, calling out Nightengale and defending Story in only a manner that Hernández could.
Hernández, who is set to begin his third season with Boston, quote tweeted Nightengale and used the amusing poop emoji effectively to get his point across as you can see below.
Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom also contradicted Nightengale's report when he told reporters Tuesday that Story's injured elbow didn't flare up until well after the season ended.
"While ramping up throwing, Trevor experienced pain in his elbow. This was just before Christmas," Bloom said, per The Boston Globe’s Alex Speier. "… It was not something we contemplated at the end of the season."
There never would have been an ideal time for Story to go through this procedure and it certainly puts the Red Sox, who will be in search of options in the middle infield now, in a tough spot with Spring Training just over a month away.
But if there's anything good to come out of the tough injury news, it's that Hernández was more than willing to have Story's back, and the Red Sox being there for a teammate could be a rallying point heading into a new season.
