As of April 21, it seemed like Trevor Story had finally pulled himself together.
The Boston Red Sox shortstop was batting .337 with an .894 OPS through the first 23 games of the 2025 season. Not only was the 32-year-old finally living up to his nine-figure price tag, but he was also just playing the most efficient baseball of his career.
Story's resurgence at the plate turned out to be short-lived, however, as he has struggled to a historic degree ever since.
Over his past 19 games, Story has hit .115 with one home run, four RBIs and a .332 OPS.
According to Underdog Fantasy's Justin Havens, Story is the fourth Red Sox player in the Wild Card Era to hit .115 or lower over a 19-game span, minimum 80 plate appearances. John Valentin did so in 1997, while Julio Lugo and Daniel Nava joined the club in 2007 and 2012, respectively.
Trevor Story is the 4th Red Sox player in the Wild Card Era to hit .115 or lower over a 19-game span (min. 80 PA), joining Daniel Nava (2012), Julio Lugo (2007) and John Valentin (1997).
— nugget chef (@jayhaykid) May 15, 2025
The good news for the Red Sox is that the last time they had a shortstop struggle this much offensively, they went on to win the World Series. Lugo played in all 14 games during Boston's 2007 postseason run, batting .271 that October.
Should Story fail to bounce back, the Red Sox have Marcelo Mayer waiting in the wings in Triple-A. The $77.5 million Boston still owes Story will make it tough to send him down or outright bench him, though, so it may not be a simple and easy path to the big leagues for Mayer.
Story has appeared in 204 games since joining the Red Sox in 2022. He has hit .232 with a .680 OPS and 4.4 WAR in that span, posting positive defensive runs saved each season prior to 2025. During his time with the Colorado Rockies, Story hit .272 with an .863 OPS and 27.0 WAR, making two All-Star appearances and winning two Silver Sluggers.
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