Trevor Story could miss 2023 season after undergoing elbow surgery

BOSTON -- As if the Red Sox didn't have a big enough hole in the middle of their infield following the departure of Xander Bogaerts, now the team will have to live without Trevor Story for a good chunk of time.

That chunk of time could be the entire 2023 season, after Story underwent internal brace surgery on his right ulnar collateral ligament -- his elbow -- on Monday, the team announced Tuesday afternoon. Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom expressed optimism that Story may be back sometime in 2023, but didn't want to put a timetable on the infielder's return.

"I certainly would not rule out a return sometime during 2023, but it's not something at this stage we want to bank on," Bloom said during a Zoom with reporters. "It will take as long as it takes and we want him to return 100 percent."

Bloom said that Story experienced elbow pain just before Christmas as he ramped up his work. He was moving forward expecting to play shortstop in place of Bogaerts in the upcoming season.

The surgery, which was performed in Texas, is a modified version of Tommy John surgery that has a quicker recovery time. That is what has left the door open for a potential return for Story. Players who undergo the surgery usually miss between four to six months.

But Bloom made it sound like the team will move forward under the assumption that Story will not be back.

"We can't sugarcoat it. He's such a talented player," he said of Story. "When he was out there [in 2022], we were a playoff-caliber team. We were all really excited -- and still are -- to see what he does going forward now that he was adjusted to a new place and a new organization. We're still excited for that and it stinks we have to wait, but fortunately this wasn't worse and we will get him back."

This obviously is not great news for the Red Sox with Bloom had work to do before Tuesday's news, and now he has a lot more work to do before spring training gets underway in about a month. Kiké Hernandez can play second, and potentially short, but that would leave a hole in center field. There are other internal options, but expect more moves to bolster the team's depth -- both in the infield and the outfield.

"I would expect we're going to add. That was my expectation even before this. Free agent or trade, I don't know yet," said Bloom. "It's something we were already actively discussing even before this, and now we're a man down so we're going to have to fortify it further."

Story dealt with elbow issues during the 2021 season, but Bloom said that this was a different issue with his elbow. The infielder will join the team when spring training gets underway in February to do his rehab.

Story, 30, signed a six-year, $140 million contract with the Red Sox last winter. He played just 94 games due to injuries in 2022, slashing .236/.303/.434 with 16 homers and 66 RBIs. He struck out 122 times over his 396 plate appearances.