This Former Strength Has Shockingly Become Massive Weakness For Slumping Red Sox

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Last year, the left side of the infield was a huge strength for the Boston Red Sox .

Veteran shortstop Trevor Story enjoyed his best season in years, leading the Red Sox with 25 home runs, 96 RBI and 31 steals. Meanwhile, Alex Bregman made the All-Star team at third base and was a Silver Slugger finalist.

They were two of Boston's best players and a big reason why the team made the playoffs in 2025.

In 2026, however, the left side of the Red Sox's infield has been the worst in baseball so far.

Story's gotten off to a poor start, both at the plate and in the field. Offensively, he's slashing just .188/.194/.275 with one home run, 22 strikeouts and only one walk in 72 plate appearances. Defensively, his four errors are the most by a Major League shortstop.

Meanwhile, Bregman's replacement , Caleb Durbin , has been even worse . In 58 plate appearances, he's batting .135/.224/.173 with no home runs, six RBI and a 17 OPS+

Story's OPS+ is 36. Last year, both were over 100.

They've both been worth negative WAR this season, combining for -0.4, according to Baseball-Reference. Last season, they were worth 6.6 combined.

Their struggles are a big reason why Boston is 6-10 with a below-average offense . If the Red Sox want to turn things around, they need their shortstop and third baseman to both start playing up to expectations, especially given their important roles in the batting order .

Fortunately, they've both shown signs of breaking out recently. Story has five hits over his last two games, while Durbin has three hits, five runs and three RBI over his last three games.

They're both trending in the right direction, which is a great sign for Boston's lineup.

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