Rafael Devers Getting A Breather
Rafael Devers is getting the day off on Tuesday against the division-rival Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park. With Devers starting on the bench, Romy Gonzalez will play third base and hit seventh against Blue Jays rookie right-hander Yariel Rodriguez. It's a good time for Devers to receive a day off after going 8-for-35 (.229) with two homers, a double, five RBI and 10 strikeouts in his last nine games since Aug. 17. Before Tuesday, the 27-year-old had started in each of the team's previous 14 games. Devers is still one of the best hitters in the league, though, and is slashing .290/.369/.571 with a .940 OPS, 28 homers, 80 RBI and 81 runs in 452 at-bats. Hopefully, the day off will help him get back on track at the plate. Gonzalez makes plenty of contact but has provided only four homers, 22 RBI and seven RBI in 2024, making him a low-upside DFS sleeper. UPDATE: Devers is still dealing with soreness in his shoulders, and manager Alex Cora didn't rule out more than one day off. Devers has been battling shoulder issues for months.
Source: MassLive.com - Chris Cotillo
Boston Red Sox third baseman Source: MassLive.com - Chris Cotillo
Rafael Devers Productive In Defeat Of Rangers
Rafael Devers went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI in Thursday's 5-0 home win against the Texas Rangers. He added a single, a walk, and his first steal of the season. Devers had two hard-hit balls in this one that registered exactly 103 MPH, including his homer -- his sixth round-tripper of the season -- which came off Rangers pitcher Jacob Latz to lead off the bottom of the seventh inning and score Boston's final run. The Dominican Republic native has really come around after an early-season slump and continues to impact the ball well. Despite a slight increase in strikeout rate (26.6%), he's walking a robust 16.2% of the time with average exit velocity (95.1 MPH) and hard-hit rate (60.2%) figures that put him in the top 2% of batters. If they hold, they'll also be career-highs.
Source: ESPN
Boston Red Sox designated hitter Source: ESPN
Rafael Devers Won't Move To First Base
Rafael Devers reportedly has no interest in moving over to first base. Devers appears to be frustrated with the front office after they already forced him off third base during spring training. Devers was turned into a full-time DH with the Red Sox moving Alex Bregman over to third base. Now, Triston Casas (knee) goes down and the Red Sox are in need of someone to play first base. Devers seems like the obvious choice, but the left-handed slugger seems uninterested in changing positions again. Abraham Toro and Romy Gonzalez have been splitting up reps at first base in the absence of Casas. That will likely remain the case going forward unless the team can convince Devers to move to the cold corner.
Source: Jen McCaffrey
Boston Red Sox designated hitter Source: Jen McCaffrey
Rafael Devers To Remain At Designated Hitter
Rafael Devers is expected to remain at DH even with Triston Casas (knee) expected to miss the remainder of the 2025 campaign. Devers was shifted to a full-time role at the DH spot in spring training when the Red Sox signed third baseman Alex Bregman. However, manager Alex Cora was "very adamant" that Devers is the team's DH, according to Gabrielle Star of The Boston Herald. Through the first 34 games of the regular season, Devers has struggled at times, posting a .242/.365/.445 slash line with five home runs. However, under the hood, Devers has generated an elite .401 xwOBA, which suggests he should see positive regression. With Devers staying at DH, fantasy managers should expect Romy Gonzalez, Connor Wong, and Abraham Toro to see most of the starts at first base.
Source: Gabrielle Star
Boston Red Sox designated hitter Source: Gabrielle Star
Rafael Devers Homers Again In Tuesday's Win
Rafael Devers continued to pick up the power pace in Tuesday's 10-2 win over the Blue Jays. Devers went 1-for-4 with a solo home run, a walk, and a strikeout. The 28-year-old clobbered a third-inning Bowden Francis off-speed pitch deep into the right-field seats for his fifth HR of the season and his third in the last four games. It has been a rough start to the season offensively for Devers, who has struggled with strikeouts and has produced little batting average and power. However, he has stepped things up recently, batting .231 with three HR and a double in his last seven games. Even that stretch is less than fantasy managers are expecting, but it is encouraging to see Devers trending in the right direction.
Source: MLB.com
Boston Red Sox third baseman/designated hitter Source: MLB.com
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