The Boston Red Sox secured a thrilling 6-5 victory in their series opener against the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday night at Camden Yards.
Now, ahead of Game 2 on Friday night, Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy decided to keep the starting lineup pretty much the same outside of a few tweaks, including one involving veteran infielder Trevor Story.
Red Sox Make Story Decision
Boston kept Story out of the starting lineup Thursday after he returned from a lengthy IL stint earlier this week.
On Friday, however, Story will return to the starting nine, batting eighth in the order and getting the nod at shortstop.
Other than that, the only notable decision is that Ceddanne Rafaela remains out for the second consecutive game, which has led to some concern about why he still hasn’t returned.
Via Underdog MLB: “Red Sox 9/4 R. Anthony DH M. Gasper 1B A. Rutschman C W. Abreu RF N. Sogard 2B C. Durbin 3B J. Duran LF T. Story SS E. White CF R. Suarez SP.”
Red Sox 9/4
R. Anthony DH
M. Gasper 1B
A. Rutschman C
W. Abreu RF
N. Sogard 2B
C. Durbin 3B
J. Duran LF
T. Story SS
E. White CFR. Suarez SP
— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) September 4, 2026
Story’s 2026 Campaign
It’s been a challenging year for Story, mainly due to injuries.
He’s appeared in 45 games this season and recorded a .227 batting average, 17 runs, 41 hits, three home runs and 23 RBIs across 181 at-bats. He’s also slugging .337 with a .597 OPS.
Since returning on Aug. 30, though, he’s recorded two or more hits in three of the four games he’s played. He’s also recorded at least one hit in every game, including a walk-off single in the team’s series opener Monday night against the Seattle Mariners.
Boston Red Sox Make Trevor Story Decision Before Crucial Orioles Matchup