The Red Sox placed Trevor Story on the 10-day injured list on May 16, 2026, retroactive to May 15, and called up Nick Sogard to take his roster spot. Story’s injury was described as a sports hernia, and the move came just before Boston faced the Braves that night.
Story had been playing through a groin problem for several weeks, with the issue tracing back to Boston’s April 24-26 series against the Orioles. The club gave him a few off-days in hopes that extra rest would clear it up, but the problem lingered long enough to force the IL move and end his immediate run at shortstop.
The timing matters because Boston is trying to keep an everyday infield together while one of its biggest bats and most important defenders is unavailable. Story entered the move hitting.206/.244/.303 over his first 176 plate appearances in 2026, with a 47 wRC+ and -0.4 fWAR over his first 41 games. His defense at shortstop had also slipped, with -1 Defensive Runs Saved and -2 Outs Above Average.
Those numbers sit in sharp contrast to the hope surrounding Story when Boston signed him to a six-year, $140 million free agent deal that included a fifth guaranteed year. Even last season, the production came in waves: he finished 2025 with an.827 OPS over his final 422 plate appearances after opening the year with a.585 OPS across his first 232 trips to the plate. The Red Sox needed more from him this spring, and instead they are now managing around another setback.
The club has several ways to cover the position while Story is out. Sogard is now on the active roster, and Andruw Monasterio or Isiah Kiner-Falefa could see time at shortstop as well. Marcelo Mayer could also move over from second base if Boston wants a different look. However the alignment shakes out, the Red Sox are once again asking an infield puzzle to carry them through a stretch where the lineup cannot afford many empty spots.
For now, the question is not whether Boston can find a short-term fill-in. It is how long the Red Sox can go before Story’s recurring leg issue stops being a brief absence and starts shaping the middle of their season.
