The Boston Red Sox completed a 5-0 shutout of the Baltimore Orioles Saturday, their second straight shutout and third win of the four-game series that wraps up at Camden Yards with an afternoon matinee game Sunday.
The Red Sox go for the four-game sweep with rookie left-hander Payton Tolle on the mound, opposed by Orioles five-year veteran righty Kyle Bradish.
Before the game, the Red Sox announced a decision involving their own veteran clubhouse leader, shortstop Trevor Story.
Story will bat cleanup Sunday, for the 12th time this season in the 48th game he has played, as the Boston Red Sox chase the sweep with three regulars out of the lineup.
The shortstop batted eighth in each of the first five games he played since coming off the injured list after a 92-game absence on August 30. But interim manager Chad Tracy promoted Story to the four-spot for Saturday’s game and the decision sticks for Sunday’s matchup in Baltimore as Boston holds the second American League wild-card spot with 19 games left.
| BOSTON RED SOX STARTING LINEUP | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP: Payton Tolle (LHP) • 8-6, 3.23 ERA | ||||
| September 6, 2026 • Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore, MD • 1:35 PM EDT • Red Sox at Orioles | ||||
| # | Player | Pos | AVG | SLG |
| 1 | Roman Anthony | RF | .250 | .393 |
| 2 | Mickey Gasper | 1B | .277 | .503 |
| 3 | Adley Rutschman | C | .237 | .416 |
| 4 | Trevor Story | SS | .237 | .342 |
| 5 | Nick Sogard | 2B | .267 | .413 |
| 6 | Caleb Durbin | 3B | .248 | .381 |
| 7 | Jarren Duran | LF | .203 | .359 |
| 8 | Andruw Monasterio | DH | .247 | .397 |
| 9 | Eli White | CF | .240 | .385 |
| Lineups confirmed. Season stats shown (AVG / SLG). | ||||
Why Story Is Batting Cleanup for the Red Sox
The move up the order is mainly due to the absence of four regulars, three of them injured, from Sunday’s starting lineup. Willson Contreras went on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain after leaving the Aug. 30 game against the New York Yankees, according to a CBS Sports report. Mickey Gasper has played first base since.
Ceddanne Rafaela is also missing, placed on the 10-day injured list Sunday with a right quadriceps strain, retroactive to Thursday. Boston recalled Nate Eaton from Triple-A Worcester. Masataka Yoshida remains out with a hamstring, and Wilyer Abreu, Boston’s two-time Gold Glove right fielder, is getting a breather on Sunday, starting on the bench.
Story and Rafaela both sat Thursday. Saturday brought rest days for catcher Adley Rutschman and slumping third baseman Caleb Durbin. Connor Wong took over behind the plate and Story occupied the four-hole for the first time since his activation.
| BALTIMORE ORIOLES STARTING LINEUP | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP: Kyle Bradish (RHP) • 7-12, 4.01 ERA | ||||
| September 6, 2026 • Oriole Park at Camden Yards, Baltimore, MD • 1:35 PM EDT • Red Sox at Orioles | ||||
| # | Player | Pos | AVG | SLG |
| 1 | Blaze Alexander | 2B | .311 | .422 |
| 2 | Pete Alonso | 1B | .265 | .495 |
| 3 | Coby Mayo | DH | .222 | .443 |
| 4 | Christian Encarnacion-Strand | 3B | .268 | * |
| 5 | Gunnar Henderson | SS | .222 | .401 |
| 6 | Rece Hinds | LF | .114 | .200 |
| 7 | Leody Taveras | RF | .217 | .348 |
| 8 | Carlos Narváez | C | .162 | .232 |
| 9 | Colton Cowser | CF | .217 | .371 |
| Lineups confirmed. Season stats shown (AVG / SLG). * Encarnacion-Strand SLG cut off in source graphic. Rece Hinds .114 AVG reflects an extreme small sample. | ||||
Trevor Story’s Injury History
Story went 3-for-5 with two runs scored in Saturday’s 5-0 win and is 11-for-25 since his return, a .440 stretch across six games, according to The Boston Globe‘s Peter Abraham. The hot streak includes five doubles and a walk-off single against the Seattle Mariners on Aug. 31.
His production is quite a contrast from what he was able to achieve on his rehab assignment. Story hit .171 over 10 games at Worcester before Boston activated him Aug. 30. His season line sits at .237/.269/.342 with three home runs and 23 RBI in 190 at-bats.
Dr. William Meyers repaired Story’s sports hernia at the Vincera Institute on May 21, the third operation of Story’s Boston tenure. He last played on May 14 before going on the IL.
His injury history is a difficult one. A right hand injury and left heel trouble cost Story most of 2022, internal-brace elbow surgery wiped out 2023, and a dislocated left shoulder in April 2024 ended that season after 26 games, according to a 2024 Associated Press report.
Story, 33, came out of Irving, Texas, and the Colorado Rockies drafted him 45th overall in 2011. He made two All-Star teams and won two Silver Sluggers before signing a six-year, $140 million deal with Boston ahead of 2022.
Red Sox Announce Trevor Story Decision Before Orioles Series Finale