The Boston Red Sox's 2025 campaign has almost reached the 50-game mark as the middle of May nears. Alex Cora's club currently occupies second place in the AL East with a 22-20 record through 42 outings, putting them only two games behind the New York Yankees for the division lead.
The Red Sox's performance has improved with each passing week, and that success stems from several players going above and beyond the call of duty. Having said that, a few Boston veterans haven't exactly played a notable role in the club's recent momentum, including one infielder who's already on thin ice before June even arrives.
Red Sox SS Trevor Story is On Thin Ice Before June
Several Red Sox veterans entered the 2025 MLB season with more expectations than ever before, including shortstop Trevor Story. Injuries limited the two-time Silver Slugger to only 163 appearances in the last three seasons after signing a six-year, $140 million contract with the Red Sox in March 2022, leaving fans to wonder if he'd finally experience a clean bill of health.
Well, Story experienced a healthy start to the campaign, and it initially paid off. The two-time MLB All-Star SS was slashing .337/.366/.528 with five home runs, 15 RBIs, six stolen bases, and three walks in his first 23 games (89 at-bats), seemingly returning to an MVP-level form.
Unfortunately, it's only been a disaster since then.
After his surprisingly strong start to the season, Story is only 9-of-71 (.127 batting average) at the plate in 17 games since Apr. 22. The Irving, TX native only has one home run, four RBIs, and four walks during that stretch while playing to a putrid .353 OPS, making it feel like his early-April performance was nothing more than a fever dream.
Even though it's great to see him healthy and pain-free, Story's current performance is doing the Red Sox more harm than good. It's hard to have much faith in his at-bats when he's struck out in 34.2% of his last 76 plate appearances, making his $22.5 million salary look that much worse.
If Story can't turn things around, it might be time for the Red Sox to explore a potential trade. His current level of play isn't worth the $25 million salary he'll be commanding in 2026 and 2027, and the last thing Boston needs is to keep giving Story chances when his Red Sox tenure has been largely disappointing.
If Boston wants to stand pat, hopefully, Story finds his groove again to help his club challenge for a title this fall. For now, the Red Sox own the 10th-best 2025 World Series odds (+2100) on FanDuel Sportsbook ahead of May's second half.
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