Boston Red Sox
“I think it’s just a matter of time before I get it right.”
Trevor Story is batting just .200 so far this season. Winslow Townson/Getty Images
May 12, 2026 | 2:08 PM
3 minutes to read
Few things have gone according to plan so far for the 2026 Red Sox.
And while several factors have played a role in Boston’s lackluster 17-23 start to a new season, veteran shortstop Trevor Story has stood at the forefront of a Red Sox roster failing to punch above its weight through the first quarter of a new season.
Entering the 2026 campaign, Story was expected to be one of the few established stalwarts in a clubhouse poised to take another major step forward after last year’s brief playoff appearance.
Despite a sluggish start in 2025, Story was arguably Boston’s most consistent bat down the stretch — batting .263 with 25 home runs and 96 RBI.
But whatever momentum the 33-year-old infielder seemingly seized last year has fallen to the wayside this spring.
Once again, Story has been mired in an extended rut at the plate in 2026. Through 38 games, Story is batting just .200 with two home runs and 18 RBI. He has struck out 55 times in 155 at-bats while also working just seven walks — equating to a ghastly .520 OPS.
To make matters worse, the cracks in his defensive game that manifested down the stretch last season have carried over to this year — with Story knocked for five errors, including a costly miscue that led to two Rays runs in Sunday’s 4-1 loss at Fenway.
“If I knew exactly what it was, you could kind of fix it right away. But that’s not baseball, and there’s a lot that goes into it,” Story told Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe on Sunday. “I think it’s just a matter of time before I get it right. We saw what can happen last year, so I’m confident I can do it again.”
Much like last season, the Red Sox could simply opt to wait things out to see if Story can snap out of his extended malaise.
After struggling through the first two months of the 2025 season, Story finally snapped out of it once the calendar flipped to June.
Over his final 96 games in 2025, Story batted .294 while posting 18 home runs, 70 RBI, 22 stolen bases, and an .839 OPS.
But can Boston afford to wait things out once again for Story, especially as their already slim playoff hopes continue to shrink in a largely uncompetitive American League to this point?
Interim manager Chad Tracy and the Red Sox need to start exploring their options on how to get the most out of this current lineup — while also putting younger players in the best position to succeed moving forward.
The first step there might be to switch Story over to second base and insert Marcelo Mayer over to his natural position at shortstop — a move that allows the 23-year-old Mayer to settle into what should be his full-time role in Boston while also shoring up Boston’s infield defense moving forward.
How Boston finds a remedy for Story’s high chase rate and poor on-base numbers is an even greater challenge. Not only is Story one of many easy outs littered throughout Boston’s lineup, but his regression from last summer is also hammering a Red Sox batting order that desperately needs more pop at the plate.
If Story continues to strike out in 33 percent of his at-bats moving forward, more drastic options might be needed.
The Red Sox eventually made the right call with moving a whiff-happy bat like Story down from the No. 2 spot in the lineup. But if Story continues to be an easy matchup for opposing pitchers, he’s not offering much value even down at the No. 5-7 spots in the order.
Cutting into Story’s reps by giving at-bats to Andruw Monasterio could be a viable option. Even if Monasterio’s ceiling is lower than Story’s, he could potentially string together more competitive at-bats than what Story is submitting these days.
If Boston is looking for an outright purging of lackluster assets, Craig Breslow could try to offload Story as part of a salary dump trade — although the cost it might take to entice a team to take on Story and the remaining $50 million left on his current deal may not be palatable.
As evidenced by Boston’s struggles with finding any takers for Masataka Yoshida over the years, actually moving a burdensome contract off the books is easier said than done.
The Red Sox could also opt to just designate Story for assignment — eating that $50 million in order to just free up the roster spot.
None of those options is exactly enticing for a Red Sox team that was banking on Story to at least replicate some of his encouraging 2025 production. But as both Story and the 2026 Red Sox as a whole continue to offer little resistance at the plate, an increasingly desperate ballclub is running out of options.
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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