Veteran shortstop Trevor Story will not opt out of his contract and instead will return to the Boston Red Sox in 2026, sources told ESPN on Tuesday.
Story, who had two years and $55 million remaining on his deal, could have voided it. Boston then would have had the option to tack on another year at $25 million.
Story, who turns 33 next week, fashioned a bounce-back 2025 season, hitting .263/.308/.433 with 25 home runs, 96 RBIs and 31 stolen bases in 32 attempts. While Story’s defense at shortstop ranked among the worst in MLB in publicly available defensive metrics, he played 157 games this year, a steady presence amid an injury-riddled season.
The first three seasons of Story’s six-year, $140 million deal with Boston were filled with injuries, too, making his opting into the final two years of the deal a near-certainty. His productive 2025, coupled with a lack of middle-infield options on the free agent market, increased the possibility he would reenter free agency.
Instead, he’ll return to a Red Sox team with a cadre of young infielders — including Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell — and offers stability amid the potential loss of third baseman Alex Bregman, who chose to opt out of the final two years of his three-year, $120 million contract with Boston.
A two-time All-Star, Story spent the first six years of his career with the Colorado Rockies, where his power-speed combination bolstered a career line of .265/.329/.490 with 204 home runs, 636 RBIs and 160 stolen bases over 10 seasons.
He remains with a Boston team that has World Series aspirations. The emergence of rookie outfielder Roman Anthony fortified a lineup that lost three-time All-Star Rafael Devers in a midseason trade with the San Francisco Giants.
In addition to Anthony, the Red Sox’s outfield includes center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela and a pair of potential trade options this winter in Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu.