Story pulled himself from lineup Friday after not being traded

Trevor Story is still a member of the Colorado Rockies. It's safe to say he didn't expect his season to play out this way.

To the surprise of many, including himself, Story wasn't traded ahead of Friday's deadline despite multiple clubs pursuing him and an increasingly strained relationship with the Rockies. The entire saga took such a toll on the star shortstop that he pulled himself from the lineup shortly before Friday's game in San Diego.

"Yesterday was a pretty emotional day," he told reporters Saturday, according to Daniel Guerrero of MLB.com. "To clear my mind and just kind of reset, I felt like I needed to get that out of the way."

Story revealed he was "lost in" the flurry of transactions in the days leading up to the deadline while waiting for his name to come up, according to Nick Groke of The Athletic. He's been playing most of the season under the assumption that his Rockies tenure was nearing an end.

"It's not easy playing baseball at this level with a lot of distractions going on," Story said. "It's not the most conducive environment. It's unique. The way I tried to handle it was being present in the moment and focusing on my craft and pouring into my teammates. And I feel like I did a good job of that. But it gets to a certain point where it's impossible to ignore."

The 28-year-old said Friday he was "confused" about why he was still in Denver.

"It wasn't for lack of effort," Rockies interim general manager Bill Schmidt told Groke. "We had some talks with other clubs. But at the end of the day, it is what it is."

Story, who's battled injuries this year and is enduring one of the worst statistical seasons of his career, returned to the Rockies' lineup Saturday, recording one hit in a 5-3 win over the Padres. It likely marked the official start of his swan song in purple, as Story hinted when asked if he'd consider re-signing in Colorado this winter.

"I think the writing is on the wall," he said.