Red Sox Remove Trevor Story From Lineup After Alex Cora Message
The Boston Red Sox removed Trevor Story from their starting lineup Sunday against the Baltimore Orioles, soon after the veteran shortstop publicly commented on the organization's decision to fire Alex Cora and five members of the coaching staff.
Andruw Monasterio is taking over shortstop duties in Sunday's matchup. It remains unclear if Story's comments had any effect on the lineup construction or if it is based on performance.
Story did not hold back in sharing his thoughts. He brought up the fact to MassLive's Chris Cotillo that Craig Breslow's explanation to the team was not enough, and that he wanted to meet directly with the team's chief baseball officer.
"Some of the best coaches in the world didn't get a fair shot," Story said.
Trevor Story is not happy with the decisions and says he wants to clear the air with Craig Breslow today. Says "some of the best coaches in the world didn't get a fair shot."
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) April 26, 2026
The timing of the move raises some questions. The 33-year-old is in the middle of a six-year, $140 million deal that Story signed back in March 2022. His numbers so far in 2026 give the Red Sox justification for the move. This season, he is batting .198 with 22 hits and 17 RBI with a .533 OPS. In his last five games, Story has four hits, two walks and four strikeouts, battling to get on base.
Monasterio, on the other hand, has been the better bat. The 28-year-old is slashing .243/.317/.432 with a .750 OPS in 13 games for the Red Sox. In Saturday's 17-1 win over the Orioles, Monasterio had three hits, including a solo home run and four RBI as the team's designated hitter. With him back in the lineup today, sliding over to short, the Red Sox will look to get some of that momentum carried into the series finale in Baltimore.
The firings came Saturday evening, just hours after the win. Despite the dominant win, the Red Sox sat at 10-17 and last in the AL East. Along with Cora, hitting coach Peter Fatse, bench coach Ramon Vazquez, third base coach Kyle Hudson, assistant hitting coach Dillon Lawson, and hitting strategy coach Joe Cronin were all dismissed. Game-planning coach Jason Varitek was moved to another role within the organization.
The Red Sox have promoted Triple-A Worcester's Chad Tracy as the team's interim manager.
Regardless of whether Story's absence from the lineup signals a rift between the player and the new leadership, or simply reflects the roster shuffling that comes with a managerial change, the question figures to follow this team into the week.
Related: Red Sox Owner Sends Message to Alex Cora After Firing
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This story was originally published April 26, 2026 at 11:37 AM.