If it’s not one thing it’s another for the Boston Red Sox, who were dealt quite the blow Tuesday.
Boston announced Tuesday that Trevor Story underwent an alternative to Tommy John surgery, putting the middle infielder out for anywhere between four and nine months. That leaves the Red Sox without not just one middle infielder, but two, as it was assumed Story would take over for Xander Bogaerts after the team legend signed with the San Diego Padres this offseason.
While the Red Sox have a solid internal option to fill in at both shortstop (Kiké Hernández) and second base (Christian Arroyo), doing that would leave them with essentially no depth in the middle infield.
That has opened up the possibility that Boston adds a middle infielder of the course of the next few weeks prior to spring training, with Jon Heyman of the New York Post floating making his own prognostications.
“With Trevor Story out awhile in Boston, potential free agent fits include Elvis Andrus, José Iglesias and Josh Harrison,” Heyman tweeted Tuesday. Those three names would fit under the description of older players who are cheap, short-term options to replace an injured starter.
Andrus, 34, is coming off another solid season as he played 149 games between stints with the Oakland Athletics and Chicago White Sox in 2022. He slashed .249/.303/.404 with 17 home runs and 58 RBIs in 577 plate appearances, playing all of his games at shortstop.
Iglesias, 33, played in 118 games at shortstop for the Colorado Rockies in 2022, slashing .292/.328/.380 with three home runs and 47 RBIs. He has experience playing in Boston, suiting up for 121 games across two Red Sox stints.
Harrison, 35, also spent time with the White Sox last season, playing at all four infield positions across 119 games. He slashed .256/.317/.370 with seven home runs and 27 RBIs in 425 plate appearances.
While none of those options can be considered long-term replacements, they could all feasibly get the job done for the Red Sox in Story’s absence.
