Trevor Story, who has not played since July 12 when he was hit by a pitch, will start a rehab assignment with the Portland Sea Dogs on Wednesday. Steven Senne/Associated Press

After a six-week layoff to recover from a bruised wrist, Trevor Story will begin his much-awaited rehab assignment with Double-A Portland on Wednesday.

Story has been out since July 12 when he was hit by a pitch. Initially diagnosed with a deep bone bruise, the hope Story might not miss much time faded when his discomfort remained even after the bruise healed. Further evaluation revealed a hairline fracture in his wrist, and after that he was shut down for 10 days and kept home to rehab during the club’s early-August road trip to Houston and Kansas City.

Story is batting .221 with a .289 on-base percentage and .423 slugging percentage, all well below his usual career averages. Prior to the injury, he was also among Boston’s most prolific run producers with 15 home runs and 58 RBI, but much of that production came during a handful of scorching stretches and otherwise Story has been prone to lengthy skids at the plate.

Christian Arroyo has played at second base since his return from the injured list (.377 average, .977 OPS), it won’t be easy to take him out of the lineup, even with Story inching closer to his return to Boston.

“Cal?” Cora joked, as he’s referred to Arroyo as Cal Ripken Jr. because he’s been playing every day of late. “There’s a good chance he’ll play first base.”
Arroyo attempted to play first base last year, but hurt his hamstring trying to make a defensive play in his debut.

He’s been an excellent second baseman and serviceable third baseman/shortstop, so they think it’s worth taking a chance at him at first, given the struggles of Bobby Dalbec and Franchy Cordero.

THE RED SOX are giving Cordero another opportunity at first base.

Eric Hosmer, the veteran acquired via the San Diego Padres at the trade deadline, was placed on the 10-day injured list with low back inflammation on Tuesday, opening a spot on the roster for a first baseman.

Cordero was the choice to replace him on the active roster, which immediately prompted the question, “why not give someone else a try?”

One of the organization’s top prospects, Triston Casas, is hitting .271 with a .377 on-base percentage and .836 OPS since returning to Triple-A Worcester on July 22. He had missed two months with an ankle injury.

But Casas was never considered for a promotion on Tuesday, according to Cora. Asked if he had any discussions about Casas, Cora said, “From my end? None.”

“It hasn’t been brought up to me, so that’s where we’re at,” Cora said. “He hasn’t played this year, he didn’t play last year. That’s the way I see it. He’s still developing. That’s my opinion. He needs to get his reps, keep getting his reps and keep getting better. He was out for three months. So, I think that’s part of the equation. We haven’t talked about that recently.”

Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom told the Boston Herald that the Red Sox haven’t ruled out a promotion for Casas at some point this season, but given Casas’ need for continued development in the minors and the expected short-term nature of Hosmer’s injury, now wasn’t the right time.

The Sox still see themselves as being in the playoff hunt, admittedly with long odds, and aren’t quite ready to focus completely on the future.

NATHAN EOVALDI was supposed to start Tuesday’s game, was instead placed on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation.

It’s a concerning injury, particularly given Eovaldi has been pitching with substantially less velocity since he returned from an injury on July 15, but Cora thinks Eovaldi will pitch again this year.

He’s eligible for free agency after the season and is carrying a 5-3 record and 4.15 ERA.

“He hasn’t been able to bounce back,” Cora said. “Nothing structural. He feels a little bit of soreness. He’s gonna see the doctor again today. He had some testing yesterday. His last bullpen, he didn’t even try. He played catch and felt fatigue or whatever the feeling he has, so we’ve got to make sure he’s OK whenever that is.”

Josh Winckowski was scheduled to start Tuesday’s game, the start of which was delayed by rain, in Eovaldi’s place

CLOSER TANNER HOUCK is back with the team after seeing a spine specialist and he’s begun throwing from flat ground, but needs to get built back up before he can try to pitch again. He’s unlikely to need surgery, Cora said.