Over the past few weeks, Red Sox hitting coach Peter Fatse has traveled all over to check in with his players, and with most of the team in town for Winter Weekend he also had a chance to get in the batting cages to see how everyone looks.

By and large Fatse liked what he saw, but he was especially pleased by what he saw out of Trevor Story.

“He looks great,” Fatse said in Springfield this past weekend. “He’s moving well, and those are the signs you want to see at this point. He’s explosive, I think his offseason program was really good and it’s the first time in three years he’s had an offseason structure like this. I think that’s going to be huge for him.”

Last season was a struggle for Story, and coming off elbow surgery the veteran shortstop admitted he was basically just trying to survive whenever he stepped up to the plate. Now more than a year removed from the procedure, Story is back to full health and is enjoying his first normal offseason since joining the Red Sox in late March 2022.

That late arrival was a product of the lockout and effectively limited Story to a week of spring training, contributing to his inconsistent first season in Boston. Fatse believes that with more consistent at bats and a less chaotic routine, Story should be more than capable of getting back to being the prolific run producer he was in Colorado.

“I think we have to understand the situation he’s been in the last couple of years,” Fatse said. “Obviously expectations are high, as they should be, but I think we’re going to see a guy that’s close to resembling what he’s been in the past.”

Story isn’t the only one Fatse believes can give the Red Sox more.

Much like with the pitchers, the Red Sox are making a big bet they can get more out of the guys they already have without having to lean on significant outside additions. Story has the most room for improvement relative to last year, but the club also believes stalwarts like Rafael Devers, Masataka Yoshida and Triston Casas can all take steps forward as well.

For Devers, Fatse says consistency is the name of the game, and for Yoshida having a chance to better acclimate to the MLB lifestyle and schedule could pay huge dividends. As for Casas, the 24-year-old first baseman already showed he can be an impact performer in the majors, and Fatse believes he could be just scratching the surface of his potential.

“I think there’s still even more room for that power to show up,” Fatse said. “He’s such a strong guy, he’s just going to build on last year.”

In terms of newcomers, so far this offseason the Red Sox have acquired 23-year-old Vaughn Grissom to be the club’s new second baseman and effectively swapped Tyler O’Neill in for Alex Verdugo, but to this point they have not replaced Justin Turner or Adam Duvall, both of whom remain free agents.

Rookie Wilyer Abreu, who impressed in limited action late last year, appears likely to serve as Boston’s starting right fielder, and fellow outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela could factor into the big league equation as well.

Will that be enough? Red Sox manager Alex Cora said he’s comfortable with this group and that he’s particularly excited about Abreu and Rafaela. As for the notion the club is relying too much on unproven players, Cora responded by saying they’re “relying on talent.”

“I’m very confident that offensively it’s going to be a different dynamic. More athletic, better baserunners, more energy,” Cora said. “We’re in a good spot in that aspect.”

Fatse echoed that assessment, noting that while the club is set to lose a lot of power production from last season, they expect to apply lots of pressure just the same.

“The run production has to come from somewhere and homers are a part of that, but it starts with our ability to get on base,” Fatse said, adding that you’re never far from hitting a home run at Fenway Park and they’ll have to take advantage of the park’s unique dimensions to attack opposing pitchers as a lineup. “We talk about nine on one a lot and that’s something we’ve been talking about with the guys, we want to go at this thing nine guys on the pitcher and for us to maximize our offense that’s what we’re going to have to do.”

Optimistic as the club may seem, the Red Sox are no doubt taking a risk, and for this gamble to pay off a lot is going to have to go right. Story must get back to All-Star form, O’Neill must stay healthy, the club’s other veterans must maintain or build on their 2023 seasons, and the young guys like Grissom and Abreu have to pull their weight as first-year starters.

Should all of that happen, the Red Sox could boast one of the best offenses in baseball, and beyond simply being prolific, they could also make opposing teams uncomfortable on the bases in a way few Red Sox clubs have in recent years. Helping ensure that happens will be one of Fatse’s biggest tasks, because if things don’t work out the Red Sox will have a hard time keeping up in the loaded AL East.