The 2026 season has been off to a rough start for many players around the Boston Red Sox's roster — even ace Garrett Crochet isn't immune from the troubles. In the first few weeks, Trevor Story's struggles have been among the team's worst.
Story's early at-bats have been riddled with strikeouts, to the point that Alex Cora had to relegate him from the No. 2 spot in the lineup, the spot which he was promised over the offseason. He batted just .131/.141/.213 and struck out 21 times in his first 14 games.
But in game 15, on April 12, it finally seemed like things were looking up for Story. The veteran went 4-for-5 against the St. Louis Cardinals, he hit his second double of the season and notched two RBI. The outstanding performance raised his batting average by just over 50 points.
Story's good at-bats didn't last long, though. On April 14 against the Minnesota Twins, he went 1-for-3 with a strikeout. He at least logged an RBI during the Red Sox's hideous 13-6 loss, but his at-bats this season have been largely uncompetitive. At least he's had an RBI or two in six of his last seven games.
Some might excuse this by arguing that Story is a defense-first player, but this is seemingly no longer the case. Story has posted four errors this season, including an ugly attempted glove toss on April 13, which ranks second-worst in the league behind Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero. Story has made 11 errors in his last 34 games at shortstop, dating back to last season.
Red Sox fans don't see an end to Trevor Story's early struggles on both sides of the ball
Story finished with 19 errors to lead the Red Sox and his nine outs below average ranked in the third percentile among shortstops. Boston said it expected a defensive resurgence from Story this season after its heavy emphasis on fundamentals over the offseason, but Marcelo Mayer has outperformed him defensively at every turn.
After he finished last season as their home run leader (25 homers in 157 games), the Red Sox are relying on Story to be one of their biggest bats this year. He's been utterly noncompetitive at the plate, swinging at seemingly everything that comes his way, and he's walked just once so far.
Story has gone through similar slumps before — he was one of the worst qualified hitters in MLB last May, to the tune of a .158/.200/.232 slash line with 35 strikeouts in 25 games. He eventually found his way again, just as he's almost certain to perform better as the season goes on, but his early struggles have been so rough that it feels like there's no end in sight.
Moving Story down the batting order has done wonders for the Sox's offense, which has scored six or more runs in its last three games, but he still needs to improve his game all around to be the veteran presence Boston needs him — and pays him — to be.
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