Trevor Story has found his zone after ripping three doubles in 4-for-4 day for Red Sox

BOSTON -- After making his return to the Red Sox last week, Trevor Story started his 2023 season going 0-for-9 at the plate. He clearly had some rust to knock off after missing nearly a year of action.

Story popped out in his first at-bat of his third game back last Thursday, making it nine straight plate appearances without reaching base. Since then, however, Story has been scorching at the dish.

He followed that pop out with a double for his first hit of the season. Story then went 2-for-4 in Friday night's win over the Tigers, and after a day off on Saturday, Detroit couldn't get him out on Sunday. Story was a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate, hitting three more doubles and scoring two runs in Boston's 6-3 win.

After striking out seven times in his first three games back, Story hasn't whiffed once in his last two, going 6-for-8 at the plate. The comfort level is back, and now it looks like Story is making up for lost time. Story's four hits on Sunday surpassed his total from his first four games this season, and each of his three doubles went to different parts of the ballpark, an indication that his swing has returned.

"Definitely more comfortable," Story told reporters after the first three-double game of his career. "At-bats are much better, and I'm more consistent with the timing. And driving the ball the other way, that's always a good sign for me. I'm able to catch the breaking balls out front and maybe pull those. Yeah, it's a great time for me, and I'm definitely happy with the last couple of days."

"He put some good swings today on fastballs. Even the off-speed pitches that he swung and missed on, there was conviction behind those," said manager Alex Cora. "It was a good one. And he's a force running the bases."

Story's swing is what earned him a big payday from the Red Sox last offseason, but his baserunning skills are nothing to scoff at. Story swiped a pair of bases on Sunday, stealing second and third after an infield single in the third inning. He scored his first run of the afternoon after swiping third, touching home after Adam Duvall delivered with an RBI single.

After looking a bit lost in his first games back, Story has found his swing and his groove over the last three games. There will be ups and downs in the near future, but it's clear that Story can be an important piece in the middle of the Boston lineup the rest of the way.