The Red Sox star certainly hasn’t had the Spring Training he likely planned for
When will Boston Red Sox star infielder Rafael Devers get into game action in Spring Training?
Devers has been worked back into action slowly as the team attempts to keep him fresh due to his shoulder issues from the 2024 season. March is now here and it was initially planned that Devers would make his Spring Training debut on Wednesday. That will no longer be the case, though, as MLB.com’s Ian Browne shared that Devers asked for a little more time.
“It turns out that Devers won’t make his debut tomorrow,” Browne said. “He still doesn’t feel up to speed at the plate during live BP. He asked Alex Cora for a little more time.”
Throughout Spring Training, a lot of the chatter has been about who will play third base on Opening Day. The Red Sox signed Alex Bregman and Devers made it clear that he doesn’t want to move off third base — which is completely fair and understandable.
Boston has a lot of decisions to make, but if Devers isn’t able to get into game action in the near future, it could make the team’s decision easier.
If the Red Sox are going to be good in 2025, they are going to need both Devers and Bregman to thrive. The Red Sox need Devers fully up to speed and his shoulder injury certainly impacted him in 2024, especially toward the end of the campaign.
We are just a few weeks away from Opening Day and this is something already worth watching. This could end up being a nothing story if Devers is able to take the field over the next few days, but if his absence extends, it could be tough.
On the bright side, manager Alex Cora shared that he wasn’t worried, as shared by Browne.
“Alex Cora on Raffy’s delayed Spring Training debut: ‘Raffy is not starting tomorrow. He asked me for more live BPs, so we’ll be good with that. We’ll see where we are over the weekend, but timing-wise, he’s off. I’m not worried about him,'” Browne shared.
Hopefully, he is alright.
Insider Reveals Potential Rafael Devers Plan for Red Sox
On paper, he’s one of the top third basemen in Major League Baseball, but if fans want to argue that it’s because of his bat, that’s also more than fair.
Devers is a below-average defender by nearly every metric, but his bat makes him one of the elite players in Major League Baseball.
The Boston Red Sox have to put the best team on the field, and if that means he’s a designated hitter while Alex Bregman plays third base and Kristian Campbell wins the job at second base, that’s what the team needs to do.
MassLive’s Sean McAdam thinks that will be the case, adding comments from Craig Breslow and Alex Cora that support the move.
“Devers will be healthy enough to make the Opening Day roster. The conversation about his position will be incessant until then,” wrote McAdam. “When people like (Craig) Breslow and (Alex) Cora diplomatically note that ‘these things tend to work themselves out,’ they’re basically saying that Devers will eventually play where they want him to play. If Campbell shows out and claims second base, that spot will be designated hitter.”
It’ll be interesting to see how Devers reacts if this happens. He hasn’t played in Spring Training due to shoulder soreness, but he’s expected to return to the diamond on Wednesday.
The Red Sox will give him a chance to play third base in Spring Training, but the slugger improving to the level they need him to is slim to none after what he’s shown in his career.
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