Trevor Story feeling confident that he'll play in 2023

BOSTON -- There's still no clear answer on whether or not Trevor Story will play for the Red Sox this season, after he underwent elbow surgery in January. But Story believes he has a chance to take the field for Boston in 2023.

"I think best case, I'm back at some point in the second half and, worst case, I don't play this year," Story told reporters in Fort Myers, Florida on Wednesday, via Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. "But I feel really good about the first one."

Story was set to move back to shortstop for Boston in place of the departed Xander Bogaerts this season. But after he experienced elbow pain during his offseason program, he elected to go under the knife for an internal brace procedure on Jan. 9. It's not how he wanted his second season in Boston to start, but he's trying to keep things positive.

The extremely optimistic timetable for his recovery comes in around four months, which would put Story back in the Sox lineup and infield sometime around May or June. On the other end of the spectrum, it could keep him out for 8-10 months, which would mean a lost season.

Story is hoping that his recovery lands somewhere in the middle, which would allow him to still make an impact in 2023.

"We're really just going to take it with how it comes," he said Wednesday. "And like I said, I'm planning on coming back and that's the goal for me and I think that's best case scenario."

Story signed a six-year, $140 million deal with Boston last March, and was limited to just 94 games because of a hand contusion he suffered in July. He hit .238 for the season with 16 homers and 66 RBIs.