Red Sox poor play since the All-Star break and not Rafael Devers blowing off reporters is the problem
The Red Sox dropped their fourth straight game following a 7-2 loss to the Mets on Tuesday night. Boston has lost 10 of its last 13 games while managing to score just five runs over 36 frames.
All-Star slugger Rafael Devers, who has been dealing with chronic shoulder soreness all season, is one of the many players in the midst of the Sox' struggles offensively. Devers went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and is 1-for-21 on the road trip.
Following the game, Devers reportedly sat at his locker for about 40 minutes. According to Chris Smith of MassLive, Devers was informed by the Red Sox media relations team that reporters wanted to talk to him. Devers left without speaking, roughly around 10:55 p.m. after he showered and changed.
Players aren’t required to speak with the media following games; some do and some don’t; it’s the nature of the business. With 23 games remaining and 4 1/2 games behind the Royals for the final wild card spot, it’s not out of bounds for the media to want to chat with Devers. You could also argue that the media should read the room; but they have a job to do, and that’s report on the Red Sox, whether the fans like to story or not.
The 27-year-old slugger is enjoying a strong season at the plate even with dealing with his sore shoulders. He is batting .279 with 28 homers, 33 doubles, five triples, and 80 RBI this season (123 games). Devers is a massive reason why the Red Sox are even playing competitive games this late into the season.
With the Sox spiraling out of playoff contention and Devers the highest paid player on the roster and leader in the locker room, he should have made himself available to speak. As a professional baseball player, you have to answer the hard questions and be available even when you don’t want to be.
The power-hitter has been grinding through the year with injuries, and maybe after Tuesday night’s loss, Devers hit a brick wall mentally. A player sitting at his locker for 40 minutes and just staring off isn’t normal behavior. It’s possible he will regroup over night and be ready to play the Mets on Wednesday.
“It’s difficult, but we’ve been through this path before,” Alex Cora said Tuesday on playing Devers through the injuries to reporters, including the Boston Globe. “He played hurt in 2021, and we made it all the way to the ALCS. So, it’s not getting worse. Mechanically, it’s not the same as if you’re 100 percent, but he’ll find a way.”
The core issue at hand has been the Red Sox poor play since the All-Star break. Boston is 17-26 in 43 games since the All-Star break. They're 3-7 in their last 10 games, 7-13 in their last 20, and 12-18 in their last 30.
“It’s going to get dicey here because other teams are jumping into this situation,” Cora said. “It should be very interesting in the next three weeks.”
If Devers blew off the media on Wednesday night following a bad loss, but Boston was 3 1/2 games up in the wild card, this is a non-issue. What’s happening to the Red Sox since the break is not solely on Devers; that's on the front office, the field manager, and the players.
The players aren’t going to care if reporters are upset whether they’ve waited around for a player or coach to speak or comment. Players refuse to talk all the time, it happens at the big league level and all the way down into the minors. As a reporter, it’s something to expect, but it’s also understandable to be frustrated when it happens.
It’s also easy to want and dump on Devers for possibly being unprofessional by not speaking to the media. At the end of the day, the reporters have a job to do; they are the bridge between the team and fans. Devers has a job to do as well: help the Red Sox win as many games within a given season.
The only thing anyone should care about right now is the Red Sox trying to finish strong, and maybe, while slim, they string together a bunch of wins and are playing for the wild card later this month.
