BOSTON — Boston Red Sox infielder Trevor Story will be activated from the injured list and make his season debut Tuesday, and onetime ace Chris Sale will return to the rotation Friday, Red Sox manager Alex Cora said.
Speaking to reporters before Monday night’s game against the Kansas City Royals, Cora said Sale will “most likely” start Friday in the series opener against the Detroit Tigers. Sale was 5-2 with a 4.58 ERA before going on the injured list following a June 1 start in which he reported shoulder soreness.
Story was slotted to replace departed free agent Xander Bogaerts at shortstop, but he had elbow surgery in January on his right ulnar collateral ligament. The Red Sox have struggled to replace him in the infield, with primary option Kike Hernandez leading the league in errors before being moved to the outfield, and then traded away.
Cora also said reliever Garrett Whitlock (bruised elbow) will make one more rehab appearance and could be back with the Red Sox on Sunday. And reliever Tanner Houck will need at least one more rehab appearance before a decision is made on his return.
The return of the injured players was cited by the team as a substitute for moves to bolster the roster at the July 31 trade deadline. The Red Sox have lost seven of their past eight games to drop back into last place in the AL East, and five games back in the AL wild-card standings heading into Monday’s games.