Boston Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story is on the verge of learning that although a $140 million contract can certainly buy happiness, it might not be enough to guarantee a spot in the lineup.
The 33-year-old Story is expected to return from a sports hernia surgery this coming week. He hasn’t played since May 14, when he hit the IL batting just .206 with a .547 OPS and a dreadful 32.4% strikeout rate.
Given the financial commitment and his résumé, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the Red Sox would ignore those numbers and have him resume his starting shortstop duties. But with Nick Sogard and Andruw Monasterio playing well, interim manager Chad Tracy could find himself in quite the bind.
What will the Boston Red Sox do when Trevor Story comes off the injured list?
On the list of the Red Sox’s worst free-agent signings, Story sits in the Hanley Ramírez tier, and not solely because both were All-Star shortstops before coming to Boston. The two occasionally showed signs of their previous selves, but have definitely failed to meet even the most basic expectations of their contract.
How can Tracy realistically justify making Story his starting shortstop again? Sogard has provided the Red Sox with a .778 OPS and 0.9 bWAR in only 34 games. Similarly, although Monasterio’s numbers don’t jump off the page, his 1.3 bWAR and overall versatility warrant keeping him in the lineup.
Although the Red Sox could try to put Story at DH, consider that he struck out in 57 of his first 176 plate appearances. Those are unacceptable numbers for a bench player, let alone an experienced shortstop who has only stuck around because of his contract.
Chad Tracy must make Trevor Story earn his Red Sox at-bats
Last year was the exception to Story’s five seasons in Boston. Nearly half of the 8.1 bWAR he’s managed with the Red Sox came in 2025. He’s struck out in at least 30.8% of his plate appearances in four of the last five years. What we saw through the first month-plus was worse than the norm, which was already a low bar.
Season | bWAR |
|---|---|
2022 | 2.5 |
2023 | 0.8 |
2024 | 0.8 |
2025 | 4.1 |
2026 | -0.1 |
Granted, most of this won’t matter if Story becomes a playoff hero and leads the Red Sox to a World Series title. We’d eventually look back at him as someone who stepped up in October, which would override just how underwhelming and injury-prone he’s been since arriving in Boston nearly five years ago. That’s why you rarely run into Yankees fans who bemoan the A.J. Burnett signing.
For now, plan on Tracy having Story play a significant amount upon returning from the IL. Whether that’ll be the case in mid-September depends on how well he plays over the coming weeks — or, at least, that’s how Tracy should approach the situation.
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