The Boston Red Sox have limped out to a losing record after a blockbuster offseason raised some expectations that they would be better.
The team added Garrett Crochet, Walker Buehler, Alex Bregman and other win-now pieces in hopes of ending a playoff drought. But so far, the performance has been underwhelming.
Several areas of the roster can shoulder some of the blame. Losing first baseman Triston Casas to a season-ending injury was a blow, the starting rotation outside of Crochet has struggled and some younger players have taken a step back at the plate.
But one of the biggest disappointments has been shortstop Trevor Story, who is batting .220 in the fourth year of a six-year, $140 million contract.
As those struggles persist, Red Sox manager Alex Cora has opted to bench Story.
“Shortstop Trevor Story sat out Sunday’s game and that could be the case on Monday as well,” per Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe. “He’s 8 of 61 (.131) in his last 16 games with 21 strikeouts and has a .589 OPS on the season.”
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When asked about the move to give Story a breather, Cora explained it with two words: “Disconnect him.”
“It’s not a lack of working; it’s been a lot,” Cora added, per Abraham. “Maybe just back up and just watch the game from a different perspective.”
With top prospect Marcelo Mayer added to the roster to substitute for an injured Bregman, some Red Sox fans are hoping the youngster can stick on the roster as a long-term replacement for Story even after Bregman comes back. If the team is able to post a win with Story on the bench, that could convince Cora to give him some more time off for the rest of the season.
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