In a dominant pitching effort, the Boston Red Sox leaned on Lucas Giolito, Garrett Whitlock, and Greg Weissert en route to a 3-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night. It didn't take long for Roman Anthony to secure his first career hit in front of the Fenway Faithful, as he shot a 2-run double down the left field line that put Boston ahead in the first inning.
Back in the win column, the Red Sox have improved to just 3.5 games back of the final AL wild card spot. This is a number that Red Sox management will be looking at until the trade deadline comes in late July, as the team looks to cement its name in the postseason race by then.
The Red Sox won the weekend series over the Yankees in the Bronx and are looking to win the rubber match of their ongoing series against the Rays on Wednesday night. Shortstop Trevor Story has played a big part in those wins, not too long after Red Sox fans were asking for him to be replaced.
Trevor Story Lighting It Up in June
It has been a whirlwind of a season for the former All-Star. Coming into 2025, Red Sox fans were asking Story to prove himself after back-to-back injury-riddled seasons in 2023 and 2024. He's the fourth-highest-paid player on the Red Sox and couldn't seem to stay on the field to begin his Red Sox tenure.
Now, he's been one of the most available position players for the team, and is looking to pass his games played total combined for the past two seasons in 2025. Playing just 43 games in 2023 and 26 in 2024, Story is set to play his 66th game of the season on Wednesday night.
In addition to being an above-average defender at his position (.980 fielding percentage, 6th best among AL SS), Story has re-surged at the plate after an abysmal month of May.
Trevor Story last 7 games;
— Boston Strong (@BostonStrong_34) June 11, 2025
.370, 2 HR, 1 2B, 8 RBI pic.twitter.com/RljTK35l98
Across 35 at-bats in June, Story is slashing .343/.395/.571 with two home runs and 11 RBIs in the middle of Boston's order. It's a vast improvement from his concerning .158/.200/.232 slash line just last month, as Red Sox fans seemed to be fed up with the shortstop. As the months turned, Story is back to being a run producer for the team.
Aside from being a valuable piece to the Red Sox on the field, Story is committed to helping his younger teammates. Back in January, the Boston shortstop hosted the second annual "Story Camp" at his baseball facility in Dallas, Texas. The camp consisted of on-field drills, strength and conditioning, as well as time to bond with his Red Sox teammates. Triston Casas, Rob Refsnyder, Vaughn Grissom, and Roman Anthony were some of the players who joined Story at the camp.
In his commitments on the field and off, Story is excelling at the right time for the Red Sox. He has already looked to be a mentor to young infielders Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell since they've been called up, and is a powerful voice in the Red Sox clubhouse.
His approach at the plate has been inspiring to watch after how much he struggled in May. In Tuesday's win, Story worked a 9-pitch at bat that ended with a 398-foot blast over the Green Monster to give the Red Sox a 3-1 lead. With a sick bat flip to match, Story is silencing the doubters with his performances throughout June.
Trevor Story launches this baseball over EVERYTHING! pic.twitter.com/t2yayFyFB2
— MLB (@MLB) June 11, 2025
Only 11 days into June, Story is on pace for his best month at the plate in a Red Sox uniform. He's playing with the confidence that made him an All-Star twice with the Rockies, and would give the Red Sox a real boost offensively if he can continue to contribute.
Story's next chance to shine will be Wednesday night, as the Red Sox look to take another series against an AL East opponent. Walker Buehler will look to bounce back after struggling in his last start against the Yankees.