Overview
- Boston passed the trade deadline without adding a shortstop, leaving the team to use internal options for the stretch run.
- Andruw Monasterio has stabilized the position with a prolonged hot streak that has kept him as the primary shortstop.
- Twenty-year-old Franklin Arias has hit well in Triple-A Worcester, posting an early .326/.400/.581 line that has made a late-season callup possible.
- Trevor Story is progressing from May sports-hernia surgery and is getting closer to beginning minor-league game action as part of his rehab.
- The front office is balancing promotion risk and roster flexibility by giving Arias extra reps at second base, considering different deployments for Story, and weighing September call-up rules for playoff construction.