Red Sox injury updates include Trevor Story timetable, key step for two middle infielders

BOSTON — The Red Sox still tentatively plan on having All-Star lefty Ranger Suarez come off the injured list and pitch Tuesday, interim manager Chad Tracy said, as long as he feels no discomfort throughout the day Monday.

Suarez hasn’t pitched since July 5 when he left a start in Anaheim with a groin strain. He’s first eligible to come off the IL on Tuesday and the Red Sox will either start him against the Orioles or use long men Eduardo Rivera and/or Brayan Bello in a bullpen game.

“He’s tracking in the right direction,” Tracy said. “We’re not holding anybody up. It’s either him or we stay with the roster and go with the multiple length-reliever bullpen strategy.”

Suarez was set to do some light throwing and some fielding practice before Monday’s game as a final test of sorts. It’s unclear if he would be limited, pitch-count wise, if he were to return Tuesday.

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“We’ll make sure he comes through everything with that,” Tracy said.

Mayer, Kiner-Falefa get clearance to swing

Infielders Marcelo Mayer and Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who have both been out since late June with stress fractures in their left forearms, had follow-up appointments Monday that showed the level of healing had progressed to the point where they could resume swinging a bat.

“They saw a doctor and are cleared for their hitting progression,” Tracy said. “They’re going to start dry swings. Nothing impactful yet. With a stress reaction, it’s got to be built up slowly.”

Kiner-Falefa (out since June 19) and Mayer (since June 26) have been participating in fielding and baserunning drills in the weeks since hitting the injured list but had stopped all swinging because that was the activity that caused the injury. They are still at least a few days away from soft toss and then later, batting practice.

Story gives timetable update

Shortstop Trevor Story, who had surgery to repair a sports hernia on May 21, continues to engage in baseball activities before games at Fenway. Despite taking full batting practice and doing defensive drills, Story doesn’t think he’s going to start a rehab assignment at a minor league affiliate in the next week or so.

“We still have to plan it by ear here, but sometime in August is the plan for sure,” Story said.

Story has been out since May 14 with the issue, which plagued him for the first few weeks of the season before shutting it down and undergoing surgery a week later. He’s been rather active on the field pregame but there are still steps to take before he can appear in a game, including hitting off a pitching machine this week.

“Feeling good,” Story said. “Definitely progressing to some more baseball activities and doing more stuff on the field. Really just the lateral movements and the sprinting are going to be the biggest ones to pass, for sure.”

Story isn’t sure how many rehab at-bats he’ll need once he begins playing in the minors.

“It’s about how the body responds from day to day” he said. “That’s the main thing. We’ll see about the at-bats when it comes time for that. It’s more about letting the body feel good and getting back in there.”

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