The Boston Red Sox needed a huge final month from their superstar third baseman to have any chance at the playoffs. Unfortunately, his health simply wouldn't cooperate.
Rafael Devers hurt his left shoulder before the season began during a batting practice session. He then hurt his right shoulder diving for a ball in July. He continued to grit through the pain all summer, but as the calendar shifted to late August, it was clear he was no longer the same player.
Meanwhile, the Red Sox cratered in the standings. From two games up in the Wild Card race at the All-Star break, they fell five games back with a 4-2 loss to the Minnesota Twins in 12 innings on Friday night. They're two games under .500 for the first time since May 13, and the season is officially toast.
In the loss to the Twins, Devers made a couple throws to first base that bounced alarmingly far away from the bag. He was then pulled on defense in the 11th inning. It seemed like more than just a strategic move in the moment, and as it turns out, it was likely the last we'll see of Devers in 2024.
Now that the Red Sox's goose is well and truly cooked, it made no sense for their star third baseman to keep gutting it out. So it was no surprise when manager Alex Cora indicated on the NESN broadcast after the game that Devers' 2024 campaign had met its conclusion.
"No, he's not, no, no, no," Cora said, when asked postgame if Devers was okay. "You saw him throwing today, it was bothering him, when he hit inside, he felt it... so he's gonna get an MRI tomorrow, see where we're at, and probably, this is it for him."
Devers made a valiant attempt to play through the pain, but it was clear for weeks that he was no longer the same player--on either side of the ball. His average bat speed, which had been consistently in the 73 mile-per-hour range all season, had dipped to 71 mph in September, and the results in the batter's box matched the diminished swing power.
On Aug. 17, Devers homered for the second game in a row against the Baltimore Orioles, raising his season OPS to .961. From that point forward (excluding Friday), he slashed .180/.266/.230 with just one home run and two doubles. His season OPS will finish at .870, only the fourth-best of his career.
It could have been a special season for Devers from a statistical standpoint, but he proved more to his teammates and the fan base by gutting it out as long as he could with no working shoulders. Unfortunately, Devers will get an early start to yet another winter of "wait until next year" in Boston.
