Trevor Story, who joined the Red Sox officially on Wednesday, expects to return to the team Monday after leaving for the birth of his first child. Steve Helber/Associated Press

FORT MYERS — Trevor Story is expected back in Red Sox camp on Monday after going home over the weekend for the birth of his first child.

The new Red Sox infielder left camp early Friday morning and was supposed to fly back to Fort Myers on Sunday night, Manager Alex Cora said. Story will get right back to work, hitting against Nathan Eovaldi and other Red Sox pitchers. The Sox don’t have a spring training game Monday.

“Everything went well,” Cora said. “We told him, don’t rush. … We have a lot of innings. Nate is throwing, a lot of relievers. I think we have 13 innings of pitching tomorrow, so there’s a chance he can get 13 at-bats and go from there.”

Story – who officially signed with the Red Sox on Wednesday – was supposed to play in his Red Sox spring debut on Saturday. With the delay, the earliest he could make his debut is Tuesday against the Pirates in Bradenton.

Despite a late start to camp and needing to leave for three days, Cora said Story will be ready for Opening Day on April 7, but he’ll likely have some off days sprinkled in to start the season.

THE RED SOX lost two players on waivers Saturday afternoon, including one to their biggest rival.

Advertisement

Outfielder Jeisson Rosario, who was designated for assignment Wednesday, was claimed by the Yankees. Right-hander Kyle Tyler, who was only with Boston for two days in the middle of last week, was claimed by the Padres.

Rosario, 22, was acquired from the Padres in the Aug. 2020 trade that sent Mitch Moreland to San Diego. Coincidentally, the other prospect involved in that deal, infielder Hudson Potts, was designated for assignment Monday, though Potts cleared waivers and will remain in the organization. Rosario hit just .232 with a .642 OPS in 98 games at Double-A Portland last year. He lost his 40-man roster spot when the Red Sox officially announced their signing of Trevor Story.

Boston claimed Tyler off waivers from the Angels on Tuesday, then designated him for assignment when they claimed righty Ralph Garza Jr. from the Twins on Thursday. The 25-year-old made his big league debut for the Angels last year and posted a 2.92 ERA (and 5.20 FIP) in 12 1/3 innings last season.

JUST 12 DAYS away from Opening Day, it’s starting to become crunch time at Red Sox camp.

Cora wants his regulars seeing as much time on the field as possible. Xander Bogaerts, Rafael Devers, J.D. Martinez and most of the Opening Day starters played Saturday, and they’ll continue to see regular time throughout the week.

“We’re running out of innings, we’re running out of at-bats,” Cora said Saturday. “We’ll probably make another cut (Sunday). A big one. The smaller the group, the better it’s going to be for us.”

Cora is beginning to piece together what his Opening Day 28-man roster will look like. He said he will likely carry 15 pitchers and 13 position players to start the season, but no final decisions have been made yet.

“It’s different now,” Cora said. “Because you have to think about the now and the future, and the options, and all that stuff that comes into play. I bet the GMs and everybody that’s involved in that aspect in the baseball world, it’s going to be a lot different in the upcoming days. Maybe a lot of moves. It feels that way.”


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.