Regardless of how the playoffs ended for the Boston Red Sox, Trevor Story’s 2025 legacy is secure.
It’s widely assumed that the 32-year-old Story, whose career was teetering on the edge of collapse due to a string of injuries over the last three seasons, will receive the MLB Comeback Player of the Year Award. Story’s offensive production (25 home runs, 96 RBI, 31 stolen bases) was absolutely critical to Boston’s survival in 2025, as was his durability, especially with the Red Sox losing some key players to the IL. Story tied a career-high for games played with 157. The last time he did that was 2018, a year in which he finished No. 8 in NL MVP voting for the Colorado Rockies.
When Story is healthy, he’s a star asset to his team, and it’s not just about his potent bat or slick glove. Story’s leadership injects a clubhouse with confidence, something a young Red Sox roster benefitted from immensely during what was an up-and-down regular season defined by constant change.
Boston’s 2025 regular season was somewhat of a “before and after” tale, with the defining moment coming when superstar slugger Rafael Devers was traded to the San Francisco Giants on June 15. While things ultimately worked out for Boston this season without Devers, the immediate aftermath of the trade threatened to overwhelm the Red Sox clubhouse with doubt.
Trevor Story helped convince the young Red Sox that they could thrive in a post-Rafael Devers world
Every single time this team gets knocked down, Trevor Story is there to pick them up
— Daniel Fox (@DanBFox1287) October 1, 2025
The prevailing media narrative was that Boston’s offense would wilt without Devers, and given how special a hitter Devers is, it was probably hard for some Red Sox players not to consider the viability of such a narrative. That’s where Story made a difference. A new report from MassLive’s Christopher Smith reveals that Story’s voice was instrumental in guiding Boston’s collective psyche out of the post-Devers storm.
“What we have in this room is enough,” Story said he told the team, per Smith. “It is tough to see that in the moment after you trade a guy like that. But just that the belief is in the people in this room. I think guys need to hear that, and need to hear it from a player.”
You've heard this Story before
— MLB (@MLB) October 1, 2025
TS10 ties the game for the second time tonight! #Postseason pic.twitter.com/1vhiJOuAaV
Story’s words weren’t just a smokescreen designed to send the Red Sox into a more comforting delusion. Story’s argument that Boston would be more than okay without Devers was not only genuine but correct. Boston, which had a 37-36 record at the time of the Devers trade, went 52-37 following the deal.
As if mirroring Boston’s post-Devers emergence with his own bat, Story bounced back from a horrifying May at the plate to steadily turn into one of the American League’s best hitters as the season progressed.
Story’s production didn’t end with the regular season, either. He drove in all three of Boston’s runs in Game 2 of the Wild Card, 24 hours removed from going 2-for-5 with a pivotal stolen base in the Red Sox’s Game 1 victory. Entering Game 3, Story was 4-for-9 in the series with a home run. He’s been Boston’s most productive bat in the series. There's not much else the Red Sox can ask of Story at this point. He's had a triumphant season.