Trevor Story Stays Put While Red Sox Wait on 2026 Bat
Trevor Story is hitting.203 with a.528 OPS in 39 games, and the Red Sox are sticking with him for now despite a rough start to the 2026 season. He went 1-for-3 in Tuesday’s 2-1 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies, a result that left Boston with the same question it has been weighing for days: keep riding with the shortstop or make an infield change.
Story’s 1-for-3 Night
Story’s line on Tuesday was short, and so was his margin for damage. Zack Wheeler needed just 16 pitches to get through the first three innings against Boston, and Story opened with a double play and a groundout after one pitch in his first two at-bats before adding a single in the seventh.
The right-hander’s quick work put Story and the rest of Boston’s lineup in an early hole. Story has mostly hit fifth under interim manager Chad Tracy, who took over three weeks ago, and the club has kept him in that spot even as the results have stayed thin.
Tracy Keeps Writing His Name
Story has started to answer questions about the slump with the same line of confidence he has used before. “It’s tough to go through in the moment,” he said. “But I have confidence that I can do it because I’ve done it before.”
He also tied the current stretch to last season. “It’s very similar to last year,” Story said, adding, “So, it takes one game, takes one pitch, and I’m always optimistic about it.” He said, “I’m not going to sit here and pout about it,” and, “I’m not going to sit here and feel sorry for myself.”
Defense No Longer Clean
The bat is only part of the problem. On Sunday, Story snapped a personal 20-game errorless streak with a fielding error against the Tampa Bay Rays, and the play has already been ruled in a way that could still change after review. He has four errors this season, along with minus-2 Outs Above Average and 0 Defensive Runs Saved.
That matters because Boston has been one of baseball’s best defensive teams overall, leading the league in Defensive Runs Saved with 37 and ranking second in Outs Above Average with 15. Story’s numbers sit below that standard, so his spot carries more weight when he is not producing at the plate.
Boston’s Choice At Shortstop
The comparison to last year is not flattering. Through 39 games in 2024, after he missed much of the season while rehabbing from shoulder surgery, Story was hitting.244 with a.657 OPS. He finished 2025 with a.263 average, a.741 OPS and 25 homers, which gives Boston a recent baseline that is far stronger than what it has seen so far this year.
Still, the Red Sox are not moving away from him yet, and Tracy has said he wanted to avoid major changes after the firings of Alex Cora and five coaches. Story said, “The (pre-game) work is really good and that’s been the frustrating part, is that the work is great,” then added, “Then the game comes and it hasn’t been executed in the game.” For now, Boston is betting that one clean game can turn that gap into something smaller.
