Chang added to the 40-man roster
Devers moves into coveted locker in Fort Myers
FORT MYERS, FLA. >> The Red Sox re-signed Yu Chang on Thursday and added him to the 40-man roster. As the corresponding move, Trevor Story is now officially on the 60-day injured list, though Alex Cora praised his progress after internal bracing surgery in early January.
With Story out for at least the first half of the season and Adalberto Mondesí recovering from ACL surgery, the middle infield options are Kiké Hernández, Christian Arroyo, Rob Refsnyder, and a few prospects on the 40man roster who’ve yet to debut.
Chang spent the final weeks of the ’22 season in Boston when the Red Sox claimed him off waivers from the Rays on Sept. 12. He also played for the Guardians and Pirates last season, for a total of 69 big-league games across the four clubs, but only 11 of them were with the Red Sox.
In 196 major league games, he’s a career .213/.279/.360/.639 hitter, but that’s not why the Red Sox brought him back. Cora was quick to point out that Chang’s defense and versatility gives the Red Sox some crucial depth.
“We need a deeper roster. With him, we accomplished that,” Cora said. “His defense was good. He put good at-bats but defensively, he’s solid. You can move him around. Good athlete. He put competitive at-bats but I think his defense is what separates him from the others.”
Chang will make $850,000 on a one-year, major-league deal that reportedly includes performance bonuses.
Location, location
Rafael Devers may be hesitant to step into a more vocal leadership role, but he’s officially moved into a spot previously occupied by some of the greatest leaders in recent Red Sox history.
The 26-year-old superstar, who received the first $300+ million contract in franchise history last month, now has David Ortiz’s old locker in the Fort Myers clubhouse.
After Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia and JD Martinez occupied the prime location,
which has more space than the other lockers, as well as its own mirror, so the player nicknamed ‘Carita,’ which means Baby Face, can get his game face on.
Feeling grateful
At a spring training full of players trying to rebound from injuries, gratitude is the common denominator.
Story, Chris Sale, James Paxton, and Adam Duvall are among those with something to prove.
After Sale spoke passionately about having perspective
on Wednesday, Paxton told reporters how much he was appreciating the little things.
“I haven’t pitched health in like, three years,” he said. The 34-year-old has made six starts since the beginning of 2020, and missed the entire 2022 campaign because, after recovering from the Tommy John surgery he’d had the year before, he sustained a Grade 2 lat tear in his first rehab appearance, and his season was over before it began.
Now, the pitcher nicknamed Big Maple is just
happy to be out in the sunshine playing catch with his teammates.
“I never had so much doing (drills) … just getting out there with the guys and doing all the regular baseball stuff was a lot of fun … being hurt for as long as I was hurt, the regular things, you appreciate more,” he said.
Story looks for advice
As he recovers from internal bracing procedure on his right elbow, Story sought out a former Red Sox teammate who went through it.
Rich Hill, a Milton native who’s played for the Red Sox several times throughout his 18-yearsand-counting career, is a shoulder to lean on.
“I talked to (Hill) a lot about it when we decided to do the surgery, and also afterwards, just kind of trying to understand the rehab process,” he said.
The UCL surgery requires a shorter recovery than Tommy John, but worst-case scenario, Story could still miss the entire season.