Red Sox could press 'panic button' on $140 million, .391 OPS infielder

Sep 7, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox are searching for ways to end their slow start to the season,

Through 12 games, they are 4-8 and last in the AL East. Boston has scored 11 fewer runs than they've allowed, a recipe for losing streaks in professional baseball. 

So far, outfielder Wilyer Abreu has been manager Alex Cora's best hitter in the lineup. Besides Abreu, several other position players will need to improve at the plate, including shortstop Trevor Story. 

"After his contract was shaping up to be a major bust, he rebounded to post a 106 OPS+ with 29 doubles, 25 home runs, 96 RBI, 91 runs scored, 31 steals, and 3.8 WAR in 157 games last season, shoring up the Red Sox infield in the process," Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter wrote Thursday. 

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Despite posting above league-average numbers in 2025, Story hasn't come close to that level of production thus far. His .391 OPS in 55 trips to the plate is unsightly, and he's struck out 19 times compared to no walks. 

Reuter says the panic meter on Story has reached an 8 out of 10. 

The slow start this year is not just surface-level," he added. "His 48.6 percent chase rate (1st percentile), 35.3 percent strikeout rate (10th percentile), and zero walks all suggest it might be time to flip the protective cover open on the hypothetical panic button." 

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