Article: Boston Red Sox 2025 Position Analysis: Shortstop

[Nick John]

Trevor Story will always represent an injury risk, but he's healthy and playing well right now, and the Red Sox have a surfeit of options behind him. Go ahead and take a deep breath.

Shortstop has been an issue of concern for the Red Sox since Xander Bogaerts left for San Diego. It hasn't been because of a lack of talent, but rather an inability to stay healthy at the position. This year, the Red Sox hope things will be different with both a healthy Trevor Story and depth in triple-A. Prospect Marcelo Mayer looks ready to take that next step to the major leagues.

The past few seasons have been shaky, as Trevor Story has consistently gotten hurt either before or soon after the start of the season. This has forced the Red Sox to give playing time to players such as Kiké Hernández, Pablo Reyes, Yu Chang, David Hamilton, Zach Short, and Ceddanne Rafaela, with minimal success. This year, Story looks to have a healthy season, but should he miss time, Hamilton, Mayer, or even Kristian Campbell could step in and plug the hole that his absence would create. For that reason, the shortstop position looks stronger than it has in years. No longer will they be discussing having Bobby Dalbec learn the position in case he’s needed. Instead, they have players such as Nick Sogard, Romy González and Hamilton on the 40-man roster who can be plugged into the position as a stopgap.

Red Sox Shortstops At A Glance:

Starter: Trevor Story
Backup: David Hamilton
Depth: Nick Sogard, Romy González
Prospects: Marcelo Mayer, Mikey Romero, Franklin Arias
Red Sox fWAR Ranking Last Year: 15th out of 30

The Good

The Red Sox are in a better position than previous years should Story suffer another injury. Their depth, between the 40-man roster and the upper levels of the minor leagues, will make handling an injury much more feasible for the team. Yet the hope is still that Story can handle a full season at the position.

Since signing with Boston before the 2022 season, Story has dealt with various injuries, the latest being a glenoid fracture and torn labrum after diving for a ball early in the 2024 season. He managed to return to the team in September, playing a total of 26 games. When Story is on the field, his defense is a huge boost for the team. So far in spring training, the 32-year-old has looked like his old self, playing great defense and hitting like he did before his two injury-filled seasons. As of March 10, Story is batting .458 with two homers over eight spring training games.

Story isn’t the only player who’s been looking good either. Hamilton, who played a decent amount at shortstop last year before moving to second base, started off hot during spring training, putting his name into the competition for the starting second baseman job. Despite some struggles at shortstop last year, he showed himself to be a productive second baseman before his season ended due to a left index finger fracture in late August. Hamilton came to camp looking stronger, his speed could make the difference in him winning a starting spot in the lineup. Sogard has joined him in looking impressive early on, appearing in 12 games where he’s managed to hit .360 and get on base at a .448 mark. In those 12 games, Sogard has nine hits, including two home runs.

And yet it might be the guys who aren’t on the 40-man roster that could be the most exciting. Top prospect Marcelo Mayer came into camp showing no health issues from the injury that limited him to 77 games in 2024. Instead, he’s impressed as he’s bounced between shortstop, third base, and second base while looking comfortable at the plate. If Mayer can stay healthy this year, there’s a good chance he’ll be called up to Boston sooner rather than later. He’s putting in the work and showing why he is considered a top prospect in the game.

Mikey Romero has also impressed, doing so well that Alex Cora singled him out when asked which prospects besides the Big Three have caught his eye. Romero hasn’t played as much as the others, but he’s made the most of his chances, going 4-for-6 with a walk and a homer, and hitting the ball very hard. While Romero won’t reach the major leagues this season, it is a positive sight to see him build off his 2024 season. If he can stay healthy, the former first-round pick could be in for a huge season.

The Red Sox don't view Campbell as a shortstop. They view him as the second baseman of the future and have also used him in left field so far in spring training. Still, Campbell has also played shortstop in the minor leagues, having learned the position last season. In 2024, he played a total of 36 games at the position between double-A Portland and triple-A Worcester.

The Bad

The obvious topic is health issues. Story, Hamilton, Mayer, and Romero all missed significant time last year. Hamilton played the most, appearing in 103 games between Worcester and Boston, no one else played more than 78 games. To reach their potential, the Red Sox will need their shortstop depth to remain healthy this season.

With Mayer and Romero opening the season in the minor leagues (barring some unforeseen event), the Red Sox may not have as much depth on the major league roster as they think. González has been slow in spring training as he works to get ready for the season, and if Hamilton wins the starting second baseman job, that takes another depth option away from shortstop. Lastly, Sogard is much more experienced at second and third than shortstop.

The Red Sox are also hoping that Trevor Story returns to his pre-2023 self at the plate. Last season, in a very short sample, Story looked closer to his Colorado Rockies self instead of how he’s hit in Boston. However, over three years in Boston, Story has yet to reach the same level of ability he showcased in Colorado. Still, should Story be unable to hit like he’s known to it could cause an issue for the offense but not one large enough to take his glove out of the lineup each day.

The Bottom Line

Despite any issues mentioned above, the Red Sox should feel better than they have in previous seasons when it comes to shortstop. Story has given no new reasons to worry about his health, and at this point, that's the best you can hope for. We’re halfway through spring training now, and even his bat has looked impressive so far. The rest of the group has also performed well, the Red Sox are set for a bright future at shortstop, even if there are questions about whether Mayer will stick there. Unlike previous years, the Red Sox now have sustainable depth to handle an injury or two.

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[moonslav59]

I heard he reported some back stiffness. I'm hoping this is not an issue, this year.

[mvp 78]

I think Mayer needs at least a few months in AAA. He has at lot to work on offensive wise to be a MLB hitter.

Romero is really a 2b going forward. 

I don't think Campbell is a capable MLB SS and isn't part of the equation. 

If Story goes down, I think Hamilton is the emergency backup in the near term. If we get closer to July we may see Mayer. 

[moonslav59]

I tend to think of positions in terms of how we compare to last year and even hos we compare to the feeling we had at each position going into 2024 vs now.

I'm not happy with DHam at SS. I thin k I'd rather see Romy or Rafaela at SS and keep DHam at 2B, only.

Last year, we had Reyes, and not many saw Rafaela as a viable SS option, but he ended ujp bringing some measure of stability to the SS position in '24, after Story went down and the otyhers all failed miserably.

Having Rafaela, Romy, Campbell, DHam and eventually Mayer does look like way better SS depth, to me.

[mvp 78]

Rafaela can play SS, but shouldn't UNLESS he's in a UTIL role. 

[moonslav59]

12 minutes ago, mvp 78 said:

Rafaela can play SS, but shouldn't UNLESS he's in a UTIL role. 

With Abreu out, I agree,

[Nick John]

8 hours ago, mvp 78 said:

Rafaela can play SS, but shouldn't UNLESS he's in a UTIL role. 

He can play short but Cora has said the team hopes to not have to use him in the infield this year unless it's an emergency. They want him to be in the outfield all year.