Boston Red Sox star shortstop Trevor Story won't be surrounded by his usual teammates when he takes the field Friday night.
Instead, Story will share the diamond with a bunch of players looking to do what the two-time All-Star has already achieved in his career. Story will spend the weekend with Double-A Portland, beginning his first rehab assignment following an internal bracing procedure he had done on the UCL ligament in his right elbow in January.
It's an opportunity for Story to not only test his arm and get into a rhythm at the plate before he plays for the Red Sox for the first time this season but also a coveted chance for the number of prospects that call Portland home, including highly touted corner infielder Blaze Jordan, to learn from Story.
"I just saw him today, basically just got say what's up and everything so far since he's just been here for such a short time so far," Jordan told NESN.com by phone. "It's going to be a great experience. I'm going to be playing first base tonight alongside with him. It's going to be exciting to play alongside with someone that's like that -- (someone) you almost grew up watching. It's going to be pretty cool."
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Jordan, who the Red Sox selected in the third round of the 2020 Major League Baseball Draft, just recently made his way to the Sea Dogs, earning a promotion from High-A Greenville earlier this month.
Rehabbing big leaguers usually don't make appearances at the lower levels of the Red Sox farm system, instead taking more frequent trips to Portland and Triple-A Worcester as they work their way back from injury. That makes Jordan, who is ranked as Boston's No. 10 prospect by MLB Pipeline, eager for a chance to talk shop with Story while the longtime big leaguer is with Portland.
Any morsel of information Jordan could gain from Story could aid in the 20-year-old's development. Jordan is having a strong season between Greenville and Portland, batting .317 with 13 home runs and 58 RBIs. But even just getting to observe Story's habits in the field and in the batter's box will be beneficial for the talented prospect.
"It's always something to look forward to and it's a great opportunity to be able to pick somebody's brain like that," Jordan said. "I feel like the biggest thing for me is just watch how he goes about it, especially just being in the dugout and everything. See how he acts, especially with him being that type of player. It's going to be really cool to see and then hopefully I get the chance to talk to him, be able to pick his brain. And then just watch him up close at the plate and on defense."
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