Boston Red Sox' Ownership Can Be Blamed For Lots of Things, But Position Player Roster Strategy Isn't One of Them

The Boston Red Sox have gotten off to a surprising 7-3 start this season, but after Trevor Story suffered a potentially season-ending injury on Friday, the team's roster-building strategy and depth will be under the microscope.

Apr 5, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Boston Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story (10) reacts after an / Jason Parkhurst-USA TODAY Sports

On Friday night, Boston Red Sox' shortstop Trevor Story suffered a devastating dislocated shoulder which could keep him out of action for the entire season.

Per Alex Speier of the Boston Globe on social media:

Updating the Trevor Story injury news... He spoke, and while he said there's a chance he returns this year, it was also clear from how he spoke that there's a real chance he doesn't. https://bostonglobe.com/2024/04/06/sports/red-sox-trevor-story-injury/?event=event25… via @bostonglobe

Updating the Trevor Story injury news... He spoke, and while he said there's a chance he returns this year, it was also clear from how he spoke that there's a real chance he doesn't. https://t.co/A6O7UrM1iG via @BostonGlobe pic.twitter.com/ITFrRYGDH4

— Alex Speier (@alexspeier) April 7, 2024

That's a devastating blow for Story, who fought hard to come back after last year's elbow issues, and a devastating blow for the Red Sox defensively, who were counting on Story to be a strong anchor up the middle. That ideaology had already paid dividends in the first week of the season.

Secondly, the offense just got worse as well. While Story had yet to get going in 2024, the former All-Star was being relied upon to return to his Colorado Rockies days, which netted him a six-year deal in Boston before the 2022 season. There's now a hole in the middle of the order that can't be replaced by Pablo Reyes.

In the wake of Story's injury, the Red Sox ownership group will undoubtedly come under fire for not doing enough to support the entire roster, however those complaints will be unfounded.

John Henry and Co. have drawn the deserved ire of their fanbase for not supporting the pitching staff properly in recent offseasons. The team traded away Chris Sale, and then didn't go after either Blake Snell or Jordon Montgomery this offseason. They failed to retain James Paxton and didn't make moves for other mid-priced pitchers like Michael Lorenzen. That criticism is completely fair.

It's not fair to blame the ownership group for how they've handled the position player side of things. Yes, they stupidly traded away Mookie Betts before the 2020 season and let Xander Bogaerts before 2023, but they did shell out good money for Story, invested in Rafael Devers, traded for Tyler O'Neill and acquired Vaughn Grissom.

They were counting on Story to produce this year, they didn't need to have a backup plan for him. It's unfortunate that this happened, but it's not on ownership - not this time.

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