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Red Sox Predicted to Replace Trevor Story With 15 Home Run Youngster

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jon Conahan | Last updated Jun 24, 2025 10:00 PM ET

The Boston Red Sox have a Trevor Story problem, and it's tough to ignore.

Story, who isn't done with his contract until 2028, is playing on a six-year, $140 million deal. When the Red Sox signed him, the hope was for him to be the same type of player he was with the Colorado Rockies, when he could hit 30-plus home runs in any given year and post an OPS+ above 120.

Instead, Story has dealt with multiple injuries and is currently posting a 79 OPS+ with just a .647 OPS. He has 11 home runs, which isn't terrible in his 294 at-bats, but outside of that, he hasn't done much of anything.

And that's why Just Baseball recently predicted they'd replace him with Gavin Kilen, a second baseman/shortstop out of the University of Tennessee. Kilen improved during his time at Tennessee, showing that he was an above-average player, hitting 15 home runs this past season.

“The likelihood that Kilen drops out of the top fifteen is very low at this stage. His new approach boosted his draft stock massively, plus he’s shown the ability to play shortstop at the next level.

“It’s a step away from their recent trends, as Boston tends to go for toolsy preps, which makes Xavier Neyens a popular suggestion here,” they wrote.

Kilen started his career at the University of Louisville, but didn't show much power there. He hit nine home runs in his second season with the Cardinals, but had a .952 OPS.

However, in 2025, he demonstrated more power, posting an OPS of 1.112.

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

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