Rafael Devers will undergo an MRI of his sore right shoulder today, said the Red Sox manager Alex Cora told reporters (including Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic) after yesterday’s 4-2 overtime loss to the Twins. Devers was taken out of the game before the start of the 11th inning, and Cora said the hitter tried to hang in there on Friday despite a shoulder strain sustained during pregame batting practice.
While Cora said: “we will see where we stand“After the MRI scan”probably this is all for (Devers)” this season. With just eight games remaining and the Red Sox all but officially out of the playoff race, the club will likely play it safe with the star third baseman.
Devers has been battling shoulder discomfort for much of the season, and it’s fair to wonder if his determination to keep playing contributed to his severe slump. The third baseman had a stellar slash line of .296/.375/.587 in his first 488 plate appearances, but just a slash line of .172/.265/.212 in his last 113 plate appearances. Among all qualified batters since August 19, Devers’ 34 wRC+ is third-worst in the league.
The Red Sox have a total team wRC+ of 74 since August 19, putting them ahead of only the lowly White Sox during that span. Boston was 67-60 as recently as August 22, but a 9-18 record in the club’s last 27 games has ruined the Fenway Nine’s chances of returning to the postseason. While Devers’ slump is pretty directly related to Boston’s offensive decline, he’s far from the only Red Sox hitter to have a losing streak at exactly the wrong time.
Assuming this was indeed the end of Devers’ 2024 season, he will still finish with the usual strong numbers – 28 home runs and a .272/.354/.516 slash in 601 PA, with a 133 wRC+ and his third All-Star nomination. Despite having eight MLB seasons under his belt, Devers doesn’t turn 28 until late October, and 2024 was the first season of the 10-year, $313.5 million contract extension he signed with the Red Sox in the 2022-23 offseason. With Devers playing such an important role in Boston’s current and future plans, it’s a smart move to find out as early as possible whether Devers’ shoulder might require surgery in 2025.
