The Red Sox are getting a pair of injured players back from the injured list, as the Boston Globe’s Tim Healey reports that outfielder Roman Anthony and shortstop Trevor Story have been activated off the 60-day IL. Boston has two open spots on its 40-man roster, so only active roster moves are needed to accommodate Anthony and Story. That will come in the form of options for Mickey Gasper and Anthony Seigler, whom Healey reports are heading back to Triple-A Worcester.
Anthony’s return is the more impactful of the two. He has been out since early May with a right wrist sprain. Although he had a below-average 95 wRC+ in 130 plate appearances before the sprain, Anthony batted .292/.396/.463 in 303 PA last year, good for a 141 wRC+. An extremely high .404 average on balls in play contributed to that line, so some regression was always due in his sophomore campaign. That said, the Sox aren’t counting on a full repeat. They’ll be happy if Anthony can simply be average or better now that his wrist has healed.
Boston has Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, and Wilyer Abreu lined up from left to right field. Rafaela and Abreu are both having excellent seasons, but Duran is struggling mightily. He is striking out more and walking less than last year en route to a 70 wRC+, well below last year’s 112 wRC+ and easily a career-worst mark for Duran in a full season.
Masataka Yoshida had been the primary designated hitter since Anthony went on the IL, though he himself is now out with a left hamstring strain and might not return by the end of the regular season. Gasper was filling in at DH in the meantime, so with him heading to Worcester, Anthony will slot in primarily at DH and make the occasional appearance in left field. For now, that means Duran’s starting job in left field is safe, though he is a non-tender candidate after the season.
Story, meanwhile, is having a dreadful season at the plate. In 176 plate appearances, he is batting .206/.244/.303 with a wRC+ of 48, or 52% worse than league average. He was an average hitter as recently as last year, but this time around, Story is striking out at a 32.4% clip while walking a career-low 4.5% of the time. Both Defensive Runs Saved (-2) and Outs Above Average (-3) view him negatively at shortstop. A sports hernia led to Story undergoing surgery in May, and he now returns after three and a half months.
While his lack of offense this year doesn’t inspire confidence, Story is at least a known quantity who theoretically stabilizes the middle infield mix. Deadline acquisition Curtis Mead suffered a fractured wrist in his first game with the team. He avoided surgery but is not expected back until mid-September at best. Seigler, Nick Sogard, and Andruw Monasterio have seen time up the middle. Sogard has a 119 wRC+ in 177 plate appearances on the season, including a 124 wRC+ in 134 PA since being recalled on July 29th. He seems to have a hold on the second base spot. Seigler was just above average in limited time before getting optioned, while Monasterio has been a replacement-level player.
Gasper had taken 37 plate appearances since being recalled on August 16th, hitting five home runs in that stretch. He owns a 136 wRC+ in 156 PA overall, so he might get called up for a backup catcher/DH role next month, by which time active rosters will have expanded to 28. Barring an injury, Gasper will need to stay in Worcester until September 9th before being recalled. The other roster spot will go to a pitcher.
Photo courtesy of Eric Canha, Imagn Images (via Reuters Connect)
