Trevor Story's Return Adds One More Question To Red Sox Infield

It's going to be a long offseason for the Boston Red Sox that could end up featuring a bit of turnover, but fortunately, they aren't losing Trevor Story any time soon.

Story had the ability to opt out of the final two years of his contract with the organization but decided to stick around instead. Now, he's under contract for the 2026 and 2027 campaigns and has a 2028 club option as well. After the bounce-back season he just had in 2025, this is phenomenal news for the Red Sox.

The Boston infield has more questions than you'd think right now. The only guarantee is that Story will be there somewhere. Marcelo Mayer is very likely to be in the mix as an everyday player somewhere. But, everything else is up in the air. Even Story's position isn't guaranteed at shortstop. MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo noted that Story is the "overwhelming leader" to be the everyday shortstop, but also discussed the idea of moving Story back to second base, where he played when he overlapped with Xander Bogaerts in Boston.

"For now, Story is the overwhelming leader to be the everyday shortstop in 2026," Cotillo said. "But the Red Sox can’t rule out other moves that might shift him to second base in an effort to improve the infield defense, which has plagued the team for years. The eye test said Story made virtually every routine play until his throwing slump very late in the season, plus a fair share of spectacular ones. The defensive metrics were not kind, as he had negative-9 outs above average and negative-7 defensive runs saved in 1,371 1/3 innings while ranking in the third percentile in baseball in range (OAA) and 36th in arm strength (82.3 mph).

"If there’s a player available who can improve Boston’s defense at shortstop — Marcelo Mayer, if healthy, could be that guy, though he’s a candidate to play third, too, with Bregman a free agent — the Sox should be open to moving Story back to second, where throwing is less of a factor. The guess here, knowing his personality and how he took to the position in 2022 alongside Xander Bogaerts, is that he wouldn’t balk at such a request and that it wouldn’t be an issue."

Will Trevor Story stick at shortstop for Boston?

Sep 30, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; Boston Red Sox shortstop Trevor Story (10) hits a single during the ninth inning against the New York Yankees during game one of the Wildcard round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

This idea of Story playing second base is one that has been talked about before, especially when he was dealing with his injuries.

He played out a good year at the position overall, but it's definitely something to consider when you have the slick-fielding Mayer on the roster. Cotillo is one of Boston's top insiders, so the fact that he also said that he thinks Story "wouldn't balk" at the request to move to second base, is a good sign as well.

Story's -9 outs above average actually had him ranked 34th among the 37 qualified shortstops, per Baseball Savant.

When Story signed with the Red Sox ahead of the 2022 season, he shifted to second base with Bogaerts in town. He only played 94 games in total, but was significantly better defensively. He finished the season with 10 outs above average, ranked at No. 14 among qualified second basemen.

If the Red Sox were to shift him back to second base, put Mayer at shortstop, and re-sign Alex Bregman, they would be set at three of the four infield positions. Then, they'd just have to figure out first base.

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