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Alex Cora Predicts Breakout From Least Expected Source

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jacob Mountz | Last updated Jun 4, 2025 11:30 AM ET

When the Boston Red Sox signed Trevor Story to a six-year, $140 million contract, he owned a career stat line of .272/.340/.523 with 186 home runs in 745 games over six years with the Rockies.

Now in his fourth year with the Red Sox, Story has only played 225 games to the tune of a .228/.287/.379 slash line with 28 home runs.

Injuries have been a large part of Story’s Red Sox tenure. However, when he is healthy, Story has underperformed at intolerable levels, and this season is no exception. On the year, Story is hitting just .218 with seven home runs.

Needless to say, most MLB fans have already concluded that this contract was one of the biggest duds in recent history. Yet, Red Sox manager Alex Cora sees light at the end of the tunnel, which has for three whole seasons been long and dark. Before Monday’s game, Cora had this to say, as reported by the Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey:

“We’re getting there. I truly believe we’re getting there. It started with the at-bat against the closer in Milwaukee, 100 with a breaking ball; he took that walk. Hit some balls hard. The strikeouts are the strikeouts, but they’re a little bit different than what was happening two weeks ago.”

That day, Story would go 0-for-4 with two more strikeouts, totaling 75 on the season. If Cora is right and Story is on the verge of a breakout, this could be a game-changer for Boston. As things stand, Boston is 4.5 games out of the wild card and desperately seeking something to breathe life back into their season.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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