The Boston Red Sox have been struggling at the plate this season.
Part of that falls on one of their big investments. Shortstop Trevor Story was a two-time All-Star with the Colorado Rockies before signing a six-year, $140 million deal with Boston.
Since he started with Boston in 2022, it’s been tough sledding for Story, with a .695 OPS. The Red Sox could have to make a tough decision soon regarding the shortstop, who currently has a .520 OPS, according to Boston.com’s Conor Ryan.
The shortstop could be designated for assignment as a last resort, but there are other options.
Despite a rough first half of the 2025 season for Story, he finished with 25 home runs and 96 runs driven in.
This year, his bat has been nearly nonexistent, and his glove has gotten worse.
What Are the Options for Story and the Boston Red Sox?
Since Story will not be a free agent until after the 2027 season, Boston doesn’t have a lot of options.
The first option is one that the Red Sox front office and fans might not have patience for.
Since he was better down the stretch in 2025, the Red Sox could wait and see if he improves down the stretch before making a decision. But that’s unlikely to happen as Boston’s playoff hopes continue to dwindle.
Another option would be switching Story to second base and putting Marcelo Mayer at shortstop. This would help Story’s defensive numbers, but likely not his bat.
The third option would be replacing him in the order entirely with Andruw Monasterio. While Monasterio would likely put together more competitive at-bats, his ceiling is limited.
A final, and more drastic option, would be to trade Story as a salary dump, or just designate him for assignment.
The problem with this is that Story has $50 million left on his contract. It would be hard to move Story unless the Red Sox ate a substantial chunk of that money.
Whatever choice the Red Sox make, it will likely have many drawbacks.
What Is Causing Story’s Poor Season?
While Story had a poor first couple of months in 2025, it wasn’t this bad.
Story has what would be career lows across the board in 2026. Much of that is due to his chase and whiff rates.
This year, Story’s chase rate is an eye-popping 44.6%, according to Baseball Savant. That is an unacceptable number for a player of his caliber.
To make matters worse, he is in the fourth percentile in walk rate and is striking out 33.3% of the time.
In addition, Story is not generating enough power when he does make contact. He has a .295 expected slugging percentage, good for the 7th percentile.
On the fielding side, he has a -2 Outs Above Average, good for the 15th percentile.
All of this together contributes to one of the worst seasons in the majors among well-known names.
A move might have to happen soon, whether it’s a benching or a major transaction, for Boston to have a chance at the playoffs in a weak American League.
Red Sox Could Be Forced to DFA $140 Million Starter as Last Resort