Red Sox's 3 Biggest Lineup Problems Just All Vanished At Once

Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran If it feels like the Boston Red Sox's offensive issues have started to lighten up, there might be a simple, yet perfect explanation. After failing to score more than three runs in nine straight games, the Red Sox scratched their way to seven on Tuesday and four on Wednesday to finish off a sweep of the Kansas City Royals. The series was by no means perfect from a lineup perspective, but there were at least some signs of life.

Seemingly all at once, the Red Sox mitigated the three biggest issues they were having with their lineup. Those issues had names: Trevor Story, Caleb Durbin, and Jarren Duran. The transformation began over the weekend in Atlanta.

Story sat out Friday's game, then was placed on the injured list on Saturday with a sports hernia. Since then, he's flown all over the country to get medical opinions as to whether he needs surgery, and it seems as though an extended absence is increasingly likely. Before his injury, Story was putting up a .

547 OPS, now the sixth-worst among all qualified hitters. His six errors at shortstop weren't helping matters, either. Isiah Kiner-Falefa certainly isn't a long-term fix, but his three-hit night on Tuesday helped steady the ship, and there's every chance Marcelo Mayer could slide over to his natural position before long.