Red Sox place third baseman Rafael Devers on injured list ending his season
Rafael Devers’ 2024 season is officially over.
The Red Sox placed the slugger on the 10-day injured list Saturday with left shoulder inflammation and recalled infielder/catcher Mickey Gasper from Triple-A Worcester.
Devers underwent MRI’s on both shoulders, and Red Sox skipper Alex Cora alluded to reporters Friday night that the club would shut down the third baseman.
The All-Star has been dealing with a sore right shoulder dating back to the end of spring training. He injured his left shoulder diving for a ball while the team was on the road in Colorado.
Devers season ends with him slashing .272/.354/.516 with 28 homers, 34 doubles, five triples, 83 RBI, 87 runs, 67 walks, and a .871 OPS in 138 games. He had just three extra base hits in 28 games dating back to Aug. 18.
“I think overall, injuries aside, he was one of the best hitters, if not the best hitter, in the big leagues for two and a half months, and it was fun to see,” manager Alex Cora said Saturday. “I know the numbers are the numbers defensively. But he made some improvements in certain areas.”
The Red Sox will navigate their final eight games with Romy Gonzalez and Nick Sogard splitting time at third base. Vaughn Grissom should see the bulk share of time at second base.
Since the beginning of August, Devers has looked like a shell of himself at the plate posing .205/.295/.329/.624 line in his final 42 games.
“He worked on a few things in the offseason, and one of those was to catch up with the fastball,” Cora said. “And then it got to the point that he didn’t. The teams, they noticed it, and they attacked him. I mean, it was relentless. And that started probably a month and a half ago.
“Disappointed because he’s basically our offense,” Cora added. “He is the guy. The last month it’s been hard to watch.”
