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Red Sox Shortstop Scratched After Latest Injury Setback

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Sam Bernardi | Last updated Mar 22, 2025 10:44 AM ET

Boston Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story was scratched from Friday’s game with back tightness. He missed about a week of action earlier in the month for back problems, with the information coming from Rob Bradford of WEEI.

While this is likely a precautionary move, and Story is expected back on Saturday, Red Sox fans can’t help but feel like they’re going in circles with Story. After signing a six-year, $140-million contract in 2022, Story has been limited to just 163 games in three years.

Story did not carry the injury-prone designation until arriving in Boston. From 2017-2021 with the Colorado Rockies, Story played 91.5% of the team’s total games.

He was one of the game's most complete shortstops, and the Red Sox had hoped to receive a similar product.

Story has had to deal with inconsistent reps and various injuries, but his Red Sox averages are well below expected. He has a 162-game average of 21 home runs and 90 RBIs, which are somewhat worthy of his contract, but a .232 batting average and .693 OPS reveal more significant problems. Plus, his defense is not getting any better with age.

He is starting to become one of baseball’s bigger What Ifs, and should the injuries linger, he would leave a massive hole in the middle of the Boston order.

However, if there is a silver lining to the Story news, it could accelerate Marcelo Mayer’s path to the MLB. He is not the only other option to play the six, with Nick Sogard and David Hamilton perfectly capable, but they do not possess nearly the same ceiling as Mayer.

Mayer will probably be a triple-A regular to start the season, but should the Story trends continue, he could be up in Boston in no time.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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