Marcelo Mayer Not Yet Changing Trevor Story’s 2026 Picture
marcelo mayer is not the problem, but Trevor Story’s 2026 line is getting harder to ignore. He went 1-for-3 in the Red Sox’s 2-1 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday and finished the day hitting.203 with a.528 OPS in 39 games.
Story’s first two at-bats against Zack Wheeler ended in a double play and a groundout. He has mostly hit fifth under interim manager Chad Tracy, and that spot has not produced the lift Boston needs from its shortstop.
Trevor Story and Zack Wheeler
The Phillies starter kept Story quiet with 16 pitches in those first two trips. The Red Sox lost by one run, and the shortstop’s line only deepened a slump that has stretched beyond a single night.
Story also snapped a personal 20-game errorless streak with a fielding error on Sunday. He now has -2 Outs Above Average, 0 Defensive Runs Saved and four errors this season, a sharper drop than the version of him Boston got after his injury-filled 2024.
Chad Tracy’s infield choice
Tracy became interim manager three weeks before this game, and he was asked about possible changes to the infield before Tuesday’s first pitch. That question landed while Boston still leads the league with 37 Defensive Runs Saved and ranks second with 15 Outs Above Average, even with Story’s numbers lagging behind the group around him.
Story’s own comments left little doubt about the frustration. “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 compared the stretch to last year, when he was hitting.244 with a.657 OPS through 39 games after missing much of 2024 while rehabbing from shoulder surgery. He finished 2025 at.263 with a.741 OPS and 25 homers, so the current.203 average is the kind of start that forces a team to think about the infield instead of waiting for the numbers to flip on their own.
Story’s work before games
Story said the problem is not preparation. “The (pre-game) work is really good and that’s been the frustrating part, is that the work is great,” he said. “Then the game comes and it hasn’t been executed in the game.”
He added, “I’m not going to sit here and pout about it. I’m not going to sit here and feel sorry for myself.” For Boston, that leaves a familiar choice: keep running him out there and hope the bat and glove stabilize, or decide the infield needs a different look after a 2-1 loss that put the issue back on the table.
