Since the beginning of the season, the Boston Red Sox have cleaned up their defense. In March and early April, they were on pace for more errors than they had last year, but things have tightened up — the Sox have fallen closer to the middle of the pack with 19 errors (ranking No. 12 in the league) and they lead MLB with 40 defensive runs saved.
Despite the improvements, a rough series has brought Boston's defensive struggles back into view, mostly led by Trevor Story. The shortstop made a two-out error in the Red Sox's May 14 game against the Philadelphia Phillies, and it led to a run scoring (with some help from Caleb Durbin and Marcelo Mayer two plays later).
Offensively, Story went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts, including an inning-ending strikeout with two runners on base. His 57 punchouts and five errors both lead the Red Sox through 43 games. He has the lowest Win Probability Added of any player in the league, and it isn't particularly close (according to Twitter user Thomas Nestico). Yes, he's one of a few veterans on the team, and yes, he's also one of the highest paid players, but Boston can't keep letting this slide.
The season is a quarter of the way over and the Red Sox haven't seen anything close to sustained, decent play from Story. Until he can figure himself out, Andruw Monasterio should play in his place.
The American League has been so poor this season that the 18-25 Red Sox, one of the worst teams in MLB so far, are within three games of a Wild Card spot. Boston can't afford to keep throwing games away with constant strikeouts and mistakes when it has better players on its bench. Monasterio might not be better forever, but he's better today, and the Red Sox need as much help as they can get.
Red Sox should play Andruw Monasterio over Trevor Story until improvements come
Monasterio is slashing .258/.313/.419 this year, but he's trending up lately, with a .280/.308/.460 slash line, a home run and seven RBI in his last 15 games. He should take up shortstop while the Red Sox are desperate for offense.
Story isn't the only player who should be called out in this regard. Durbin and Jarren Duran all have an OPS of .547 or lower (only Isiah Kiner-Falefa sits below them). But they've at least played good enough defense to maintain their spots — Durbin has logged seven defensive runs saved, the second-most among third basemen this year. Meanwhile, Story hasn't delivered anywhere.
Boston is doing its job almost everywhere else on the field — Red Sox pitchers have a 2.76 ERA over 17 games since April 25 (the day Alex Cora was fired) and the defense leads the league in defensive runs saved. The offense ranks towards the bottom in every measurable category, yet the Red Sox continue playing their worst bats every day.
The Red Sox's abysmal offense is squandering scoring chances every day, and every inevitable "Trevor Story strikes out swinging" only makes them worse. Boston is loyal to Story because of his veteran status and pay grade, but he should start on the bench as long as Monasterio is out-performing him on both sides of the ball. Romy Gonzalez can't come back soon enough.
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