The Boston Red Sox are 27-29 and in fourth place in the American League East. They have not gotten the production they would like from one of their highest-paid players.
Trevor Story signed a six-year, $140 million deal with the Red Sox in 2022. However, since then, he has played in just 215 games. Injuries have plagued him, but this year he has played in 52 games and has a .222 batting average with a .594 OPS. He is fighting it at the plate, and with Marcelo Mayer now in the big leagues, the pressure is on him to perform. With Alex Bregman out right now, the team needs him to start playing like the player they hoped they were getting when they signed him.
Story is borderline untradeable thanks to his hefty contract. However, he has an opt-out after the season with a $5 million buyout that the team may consider. According to Red Sox insider Chris Cotillo on “Fenway Rundown,” he is in danger of being designated for assignment. He was even benched against the Baltimore Orioles and moved down the batting order against the Milwaukee Brewers.
“You hate to see a guy who’s a good guy and a good clubhouse leader, someone you and I both really like, be in DFA territory,” Cotillo said.
Mayer is the team’s No. 2 prospect and the No. 8 overall prospect in all of baseball. Story was blocking him from being the team’s shortstop. Mayer has started his big league career off strong, but is playing at third base in place of Bregman right now.
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When Bregman returns, if Story is still struggling and Mayer is playing well, the team will not be able to justify keeping him around. He is one of their most expensive players, but the reality is he simply is not playing like the player they are paying for.
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