Colorado Rockies: Trevor Story injury could ruin playoff hopes
The Colorado Rockies are in the playoff picture, but the loss of star shortstop Trevor Story could ruin their chances.
Currently, the Colorado Rockies have two avenues to reach the postseason. Not only are they battling the Dodgers for the NL West title, but they are also very much in the Wild Card picture. There, they are battling the Brewers and the Cardinals, putting the Rockies in a four team race for three playoff spots.
However, those playoff hopes could be in jeopardy. The Rockies are facing the loss of their star shortstop, Trevor Story, who could have significant damage to his UCL. Should test confirm the worst, the loss of Story would be a major blow to those playoff hopes.
Even a brief absence from the lineup for Story could make a major difference. With just a week and a half of baseball left to play, missing Story for even two or three games could be the difference between a playoff berth and staying home in October. Rocktober could come down to one player.
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Story has placed himself in the midst of the NL MVP conversation. An All Star for the first time this season, the 25 year old shortstop has produced a .288/.343/.550 batting line, hitting a career best 33 homers and driving in 102 runs. Story has also displayed impressive speed, stealing 26 bases, nearly doubling his career total in just this one season.
As strong as those numbers have been, Story has been on fire since the start of July. In that time, he has produced a .307/.349/.590 batting line, hitting 17 homers and stealing 16 bases. The Rockies surge up the standings has coincided with this hot streak, pushing Story into the MVP discussion.
The Rockies do have options to, theoretically, replace Story in the lineup. Ian Desmond could slide over to short, or Garrett Hampson could take over the position. However, if the Rockies are forced to depend on either player to be the primary shortstop for the rest of the year, their playoff hopes could take a major hit.
Next. Trevor Story's historic season. dark
The Colorado Rockies are fighting for a spot in the postseason. Losing Trevor Story for any length of time would be a disastrous blow to those postseason hopes.