The 2023 Boston Red Sox are a resilient bunch to say the least, and for the first time this year, they are almost fully healthy. With the returns of Chris Sale, Trevor Story, and Garrett Whitlock (and Tanner Houck being right behind them), the Sox have their most complete roster of the season at the perfect time.
Boston has managed to hang around in the American League wild card race all year long, despite their inconsistent play, and with a month-and-a-half left in the season, they find themselves sitting three games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for the third and final wild card spot. The Red Sox aren't in the greatest position here, but they still have a decent shot at making a playoff push over the next few weeks.
After a quiet trade deadline, it was clear that the Red Sox front office was putting all their eggs in the basket of their returning players. And well, for the most part, they are back. What happens over the next few weeks will play a huge role in not just how this season is remembered, but the future of the franchise, which is why the return of Sale and Story in particular is so important for Boston.
Why Chris Sale and Trevor Story's return is so important for the Red Sox
If you told the Red Sox that they would have a 62-56 record on August 14th back during the offseason after they lost Xander Bogaerts, J.D. Martinez, and Nathan Eovaldi in free agency, chances are everyone around the team would have been ecstatic. Boston was expected to hover around the .500 mark for much of the year, but for the most part, they have been slightly above .500 for the year.
When the playoffs are in sight, though, everything changes. The postseason wasn't really a top goal this year for the Sox, but now that they could conceivably find their way in, fans are obviously going to be upset if they don't accomplish that. After Chaim Bloom largely stood pat at the 2023 MLB trade deadline, the stakes have been raised significantly, particularly with the returns of Sale and Story.
Sale's return to one of the worst starting rotations in all of the MLB could be the biggest post-trade deadline addition in the league. Sale's numbers on the year aren't exactly pretty (5-2, 4.52 ERA, 78 K, 1.12 WHIP), but most of the damage against Sale came in his first five starts of the season, when he gave up 21 of his 32 earned runs on the year and sported an 8.22 ERA.
Sale had really just been getting hot before suffering a shoulder injury that held him out for a little over two months, and he picked up right where he left off in a strong initial return outing against the Detroit Tigers (4.2 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 7 K). If Sale can return to ace status for a Red Sox rotation that has been pieced together this season, that's a huge win for them.
Boston's lineup has run extremely hot or cold for much of the year, which is why the return of Story is so important for the Red Sox. Shortstop has been one of the worst positions on Boston's roster this year, as players who have played there this season have combined to put together a -1.3 WAR, which is 25th in the league. Story should be able to immediately fix that.
After an ice cold start, Story has come on strong in his past three games, which included a 4-4 outing in Boston's 6-3 win over the Detroit Tigers on Sunday afternoon. Story's debut season in Boston was fairly disappointing (.238 BA, 16 HR, 66 RBI, 13 SB, .737 OPS) but he has a great opportunity to rewrite the narrative surrounding his expensive contract over the final few weeks of the season.
Given Boston's lack of activity at the deadline, and the fact that they are actually contending for the playoffs, the spotlight is firmly on Sale and Story down the stretch of the season. Behind Rafael Devers, they are the two closest guys the Red Sox have to legit star talent, and if they intend on making the playoffs, these two guys are going to have to play great baseball.
So far, both guys have looked solid, but closing a three-game gap becomes more and more difficult with each passing day. If the Red Sox can sneak into the playoffs, that could convince the front office this team is worth building around. But if not, maybe they will decide they need a little bit more time to rebuild. And regardless of what happens, it's clear that Chris Sale and Trevor Story are going to play a big role in what happens with the future of the franchise.
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