Alex Cora Reveals Red Sox Injury That Could Delay ‘Tough Decision’

It has been no secret the Boston Red Sox soon have a tough roster decision to make.

The Red Sox have two middle infielders primed to make their return to Boston, as Trevor Story and Pablo Reyes spent the weekend playing for Double-A Portland on rehab assignments. Their impending returns will force a “tough” decision, in the words of Red Sox manager Alex Cora.

Boston is running out of time before it will be forced to make that decision, as Reyes’ rehab assignment runs out Monday. That will likely force the Red Sox to give him a roster spot that currently belongs to Yu Chang, Christian Arroyo or Kiké Hernández, or designate him for assignment.

In a meeting with the media prior to Sunday night’s matchup with the New York Mets, Cora revealed information that could buy the Red Sox some time, however.

Arroyo jammed his right thumb in a series against the Oakland Athletics, according to Cora, per Ian Browne of MLB.com. It has led to his absence from Boston’s starting lineup. He has been available off the bench, but could very well be placed on the injured list if his thumb doesn’t improve. That comes just in time for Reyes’ return.

It’s a weird spot for Boston to be in, but Cora acknowledged it as a positive.

“That’s the cool thing about having a good team right now,” Cora said on July 15. “We didn’t have to make too many tough decisions in ’21 or last year as far as like roster spots. Now we’ve got better players and Pablo is one of them. … For how tough it is quote-unquote, it’s a cool thing. It’s good that we’ve got more good players and we have to make tough decisions.”

The impending arrival of Story, who fared well in his first weekend back in Double-A Portland, could force yet another decision the Red Sox don’t want to make. Boston could also make things easier ahead of the Aug. 1 trade deadline.

Welcome to Major League Baseball at the end of July.