The Boston Red Sox seem to be stalling out at the worst possible time. The offense has had trouble limiting strikeouts, advancing runners and hitting, in general with a clinching opportunity on the line.
But under the doom and gloom of the rest of the offense, there is hidden a triumphant return from injury by an unexpected player: Trevor Story. He played hero on September 17 against the Texas Rangers with an eighth-inning, three-run homer to stave off a sweep and help his team inch closer to clinching a playoff berth.
Even before that, Story had been hitting well while the rest of Boston's bats have faltered, including some of its best, like Willson Contreras and Roman Anthony (subscription required). Story is slashing .349/.359/.508 with seven doubles, a home run and nine RBI since he returned from the injured list on August 30. Boston's lineup hasn't been long enough lately to make the best of its minimal offensive production, so Story's efforts have gone under-the-radar.
There's quite a bit of swing and miss in Story's game, as there always has been. He's fanned at a 31.3 percent clip in the 16 games he's played since coming off the IL, which hasn't helped Boston's strikeout totals each game. But Story got the job done when the Sox needed him most, and for that he deserves credit.
Trevor Story has been a bright spot in Red Sox's offense throughout September slump
The Red Sox have looked utterly lifeless at the plate and Story was able to break through the ugly spell. With any luck, his game-saver from Thursday night will inspire his teammates to free themselves from whatever late-season funk they're in, which has delayed their clinching ceremony enough already.
It's reassuring to see Story get hot with just a few series remaining. He also performed exceptionally well last September with a .302/.337/.458 slash line, six doubles, three home runs and 12 RBI over 22 games that month. He's looking like a weapon en-route to a Wild Card matchup for the second year in a row.
Story has also seemingly crushed the slump he was in when the season started. The shortstop batted only .206/.244/.303 with 57 strikeouts to just eight walks over 41 games before his injury. Before Story and the Red Sox revealed the sports hernia bugging the infielder, fans were under the impression that another rough year was coming, but pain from the injury might've severely hampered his play.
After Boston went without signing a true slugger over the offseason (a Pete Alonso or Kyle Schwarber type, a more consistent home run hitter than Contreras), it needed Story to build off his 2025 season for the offense to be at its best. There hasn't been much power in Story's game yet, but maybe his game-saving homer against the Rangers changes the tides. Story has been one of few bright spots this month in the Red Sox's underachieving offense and the rest of the team needs to play closer to his level to maintain its Wild Card standing as the regular season draws to a close.
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