He backhanded the ball and threw it across his body toward first base, bouncing it just in front of Boston’s first baseman Triston Casas. Casas finished the play by making a nice pick to get Rodriguez for the first out of the inning.

Story’s defensive effort on Saturday and his performance in the field the previous two nights are encouraging to see for two reasons.

Firstly, considering Story missed the majority of last season after undergoing UCL surgery in his right elbow, seeing the player make plays with a glove on his hand is a majorly positive sign. While he did see spring training action, it’s even more meaningful to watch Story field the ball during the regular season. He seems to be fully healed from his injury and ready to reclaim his spot on the diamond.

Secondly, Boston was in dire need of a defensive upgrade, and stability, at shortstop after last season. The team’s primary shortstop in 2023, Kiké Hernandez, committed 14 errors at the position. 10 different Red Sox played shortstop last year, too, making for an unpleasant carousel filled with below-average fielders at the position.

If Story can stay healthy and continue to make eye-catching plays in the field, Boston’s infield defense, and overall fielding percentage, will almost certainly bode better than that of 2023.