September 22: Cora confirmed to reporters (together with McCaffrey) this morning that Devers is not going to require surgical procedure, because the infielder’s MRI revealed solely irritation in his shoulders.
September 21, 2:12PM: The Crimson Sox made it official, shutting down Devers by inserting him on the 10-day injured checklist because of left shoulder irritation. Infielder/catcher Mickey Gasper was referred to as up from Triple-A to take Devers’ spot on the lively roster.
8:13AM: Rafael Devers will bear an MRI on his bothersome proper shoulder in the present day, Crimson Sox supervisor Alex Cora advised reporters (together with The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey) after yesterday’s 4-2 loss to the Twins in further innings. Devers was faraway from the sport previous to the beginning of the eleventh, and Cora stated that the slugger had been attempting to powerful it out Friday regardless of tweaking his shoulder throughout pregame batting follow.
Whereas Cora stated “we’ll see the place we’re at” following the MRI, “in all probability, that is it for [Devers]” this season. With simply eight video games remaining and the Crimson Sox all however formally eradicated from the playoff race, the membership is more likely to play it secure with the star third baseman.
Devers has been coping with discomfort in each shoulders for chunk of the season, and it’s honest to marvel if his dedication to maintain enjoying has contributed to his extreme hunch. The third baseman had an impressive .296/.375/.587 slash line by way of his first 488 plate appearances, however has solely a .172/.265/.212 slash line over his final 113 journeys to the dish. Amongst all certified batters since August 19, Devers’ 34 wRC+ is the third-worst within the league.
The Crimson Sox as a complete have a staff wRC+ of 74 since August 19, forward of solely the lowly White Sox in that timespan. Boston had a 67-60 document as not too long ago as August 22, however a 9-18 document over the membership’s final 27 video games has sunk the Fenway 9’s possibilities of a return to the postseason. Despite the fact that Devers’ hunch dovetails fairly straight with Boston’s offensive slide, he’s removed from the one Crimson Sox hitter who hit a chilly streak at precisely the fallacious time.
Assuming that is certainly it for Devers’ 2024 season, he’ll nonetheless end with a usually sturdy set of numbers — 28 homers and a .272/.354/.516 slash over 601 PA, with a 133 wRC+ and his third All-Star nod. Although a veteran of eight MLB seasons, Devers nonetheless doesn’t flip 28 till the top of October, and 2024 marked the primary season of the ten-year, $313.5MM contract extension he signed with the Crimson Sox in the course of the 2022-23 offseason. Since Devers is such a key element of Boston’s current and future plans, it’s a sensible transfer to determine as early as potential if Devers’ shoulder would possibly require any sort of surgical procedure heading into 2025.
