Red Sox Notes: Boston Hoping For Best For ‘Leader’ Trevor Story After Injury

The Boston Red Sox had plenty of encouraging moments in Friday’s 8-6 win over the Los Angeles Angels, headlined by five home runs from the offense.

Although Boston advanced its winning streak to a league-best five games, the Red Sox turned full attention to the status of shortstop Trevor Story. The veteran left Friday’s contest in the fourth inning after injuring his shoulder on a diving attempt defensively. Boston’s shortstop will be further examined with imaging on Saturday.

“They’re going to check on him tomorrow and we’ll know more,” Alex Cora shared, as seen NESN’s postgame coverage. “Right now, we’re just hoping for the best.”

“It was pretty painful,” Story told reporters, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “Landed all the body weight on the shoulder there. … It all happened so fast.”

Story’s teammates watched throughout the offseason as their shortstop worked tirelessly to put his first two injury-riddled Red Sox seasons behind him. His impact runs throughout the clubhouse as Boston moves forward.

“That’s never a good feeling,” Kutter Crawford told reporters in the clubhouse, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “(He made) the great play and was laying on the ground. That’s one of the last things you want to see as a player and as a teammate of his. He’s so valuable to us. Hopefully, everything will be OK with him.”

Story had been the de facto captain of the Red Sox’s infield and served as a steady presence for a team that desperately needed him. The ballclub committed an American League-high 102 errors in 2023. Story and outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela appeared to be two true answers to improving that unit. Now, Story’s health becomes the biggest factor for Boston moving forward.

“It sucks,” Cora added. “You go out there and he’s in pain. You start thinking of everything he did in the offseason to get to this point. He’s a guy that very quietly has become the leader of this team. He took ownership of what we’re trying to accomplish. He’s not going to stop. Hopefully he’ll be with us soon. That’s the tough part of this job. You try not to get attached to players, but they’re human beings.”

From leadership to elite defense, Story’s health is paramount for the Red Sox, both in the immediate and for the entire season.

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Here are more notes from Friday’s Red Sox-Angels game:

— Crawford tallied 4 2/3 innings, snapping a streak of seven straight starts by Red Sox pitchers of 5 innings or more to open the season.

— Reese McGuire and Triston Casas each blasted their first home runs of the season.

— Chris Martin’s streak of 24 straight scoreless outings came to an end on an RBI single from Miguel Sano in the seventh inning.

— The Red Sox earned a victory on the road against the Angels for the first time since June 8, 2022.

— Boston hit five home runs in a game for the first time since an 8-3 win over the Cubs on July 14, 2023.

— Jarren Duran’s go-ahead home run in the eighth inning marked his first extra-base hit of the season, despite hitting .393 entering Friday’s contest.

— Kenley Jansen took sole possession of sixth place on the all-time saves list, moving one behind John Franco for fifth place all-time.

— The Red Sox and Angels continue their series on Saturday night in Anaheim. First pitch is set for 9:38 p.m. ET. You can catch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN.