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Tag: trevor story

  • Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story needs season-ending shoulder surgery

    Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story needs season-ending shoulder surgery

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    BOSTON — Boston Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story will have what is likely season-ending surgery on his dislocated left shoulder and right-hander Nick Pivetta has a strained a right flexor, the latest in a spate of elbow injuries among pitchers.

    Story, a two-time All-Star with the Colorado Rockies, was placed on the 10-day injured list after dislocating his left shoulder Friday at the Los Angeles Angels. His projected recovery time is six months.

    “Difficult to speculate beyond that,” Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow said before Tuesday’s home opener against Baltimore. “But you can kind of do the math there.”

    Pivetta was placed on the 15-day IL, a move retroactive to Saturday.

    Story’s injury occurred when hit the ground hard while making a backhand stop on Mike Trout’s single in the fourth inning. Story writhed in pain on the outfield grass after landing with most of his body weight on his shoulder.

    The 31-year-old Story, in the third season of a $140 million, six-year contract, was hitting .226 with four RBIs in eight games. He is a .265 hitter with 177 home runs and 534 RBIs over nine major league seasons but has a .227 average and .681 OPS in two-plus seasons with the Red Sox. He was limited to 94 games in 2022 by a bruised right hand sustained when hit by a pitch from Tampa’s Corey Kluber and bruised left heel, and to 43 games last year, when he has surgery in January to repair a torn UCL and didn’t make his season debut until Aug. 8.

    “Very significant,” Breslow said of Story’s loss. “Not going to hide from what he’s meant to this team defensively and had full confidence offensively that he was going to contribute as well with what he was able to do in spring training. I think fortunately he’s emerged as a leader of this team and there’s still going to be a way for him to positively impact it.

    “Unfortunately it just doesn’t seem like it’s going to be on the field right now.”

    While Story is out, manager Alex Cora said, the plan is to platoon players at shortstop and second base.

    “I think right now we’re committed to giving the internal options a chance,” Breslow said. “We’ll give this some run. … It makes sense to let this play out a bit and we’ll continue to evaluate.”

    Pivetta (1-1, 0.82 ERA) has made two starts this season, allowing one run and eight hits over 11 innings with 13 strikeouts. He last pitched April 3 at Oakland. and Breslow said Pivetta came to the training staff after having issues recovering between starts.

    He was scheduled to start Wednesday. The Red Sox recalled left-hander Brennan Bernardino from Triple-A Worcester to take Pivetta’s place on the roster.

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    Kyle Hightower

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  • Rockies shortstop Ezequiel Tovar’s $63.5 million contract carries big expectations

    Rockies shortstop Ezequiel Tovar’s $63.5 million contract carries big expectations

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    SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The Rockies figure they hit the jackpot with shortstop Ezequiel Tovar. On Tuesday, they rewarded him with a life-changing contract.

    “It’s a blessing and I’m so excited that the Rockies believed in me, and I’m excited to be here for a long time,” the 22-year-old said after officially signing a $63.5 million, seven-year contract extension. The deal includes a team option for 2031 that could boost the agreement to $84 million over eight seasons.

    The Rockies have known about Tovar since he was a 13-year-old kid in Maracay, Venezuela. He first grabbed the attention of Frank Roa, one of the Rockies’ Latin American scouts. A year later, Roa insisted that Rolando Fernandez, Colorado’s vice president of international scouting and development, see Tovar up close and personal.

    “I went to the Roberto Vahlis Baseball Academy in the Dominican (Republic) with Frank,” Fernandez recalled. “We went to see another player. Tovar was just 14, and he was just 5-foot-8, 145 pounds at the time. But Roa told me that he had been following Tovar and he was the best player in the academy. We decided to stay close to him and continued to evaluate him until his eligible age.”

    Fernandez signed Tovar for $800,000 on Aug. 1, 2017 — Tovar’s 16th birthday. The Rockies thought they had discovered a special player. They were right.

    As a rookie last season, Tovar was a National League Gold Glove finalist and led the Rockies with 153 games played. He slashed .253/.287/.408 with 15 home runs, 37 doubles, four triples, 73 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. His 37 doubles were tied with Hall of Famer Todd Helton (1998) for the most by a rookie in franchise history.

    Blessed with a strong arm, quick feet and excellent hand-eye coordination, Tovar is a steady presence at shortstop and capable of highlight-reel plays. In 2023, he was credited with 13 defensive runs saved, ranking fourth among major league shortstops. His 16 outs above average were tied for the sixth-most among all position players and second among shortstops.

    He said that’s just the beginning.

    “I felt like I belonged here when I made my start in big leagues,” Tovar said, referring to his debut on Sept. 23, 2022. “I think the overall experience, and being around the veteran players, has made me better. I’ve learned to be a big leaguer.”

    The Rockies, Tovar and Tovar’s agent worked out the new contract in about a week. Both sides were eager to reach a long-term deal.

    “Something that everybody should understand is that he wants to be here,” manager Bud Black said. “That speaks volumes.”

    Tovar received a $1.5 million signing bonus and salaries of $1.5 million this season, $4 million in 2025, $5 million in 2026, $8 million in 2027, $11 million in 2028, $14 million in 2029 and $16 million in 2030. The Rockies hold the option for $23 million in 2031 with a $2.5 million buyout.

    “First and foremost, we believe in him and what he has a chance to be down the road,” general manager Bill Schmidt said. “He has a chance to be a very, very good player. We believe in him, and like a lot of our young players, he’s somebody we can build around.”

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    Patrick Saunders

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