Players always emphasize the importance of starting the season strong. Some aim to build on a successful spring training, while others hope to move past a disappointing preseason and reset. For certain players, early success is about living up to big contracts and high expectations, while for others, it’s about proving they belong at the major league level. Regardless of their status, no player wants to begin the season with zeros across their batting stats.
One player in particular that his team was eager to see get off to a good start was Rafael Devers of the Boston Red Sox. However, both he and the team have faced a rough beginning, as Devers has started the season in historically poor fashion.
Devers arrived at spring training in Fort Myers prepared to resume his role as Boston’s third baseman. Recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, his participation in spring training was limited—he played just five games and had 14 at-bats. Still, he viewed himself as the team’s third baseman, a position he believed was secured when he signed his 10-year, $313.5 million contract in 2023.
However, neither Devers nor Boston’s front office foresaw the signing of Alex Bregman, the reigning National League Gold Glove winner at third base. When asked in Florida whether he would accept the role of designated hitter, Devers had a one-word response: “No.”
While Devers spent spring training rehabbing his surgically repaired right shoulder, the Red Sox slotted Bregman at third base and gave prospect Marcelo Mayer additional reps at the position. By the time the team left camp for a two-game series in Mexico before heading to Texas for Opening Day, it was clear that Devers would be the designated hitter. However, this decision was not entirely his choice. Manager Alex Cora made it clear:
“We had conversations throughout spring training, and [Devers] was very vocal about how he felt. We made a decision. Alex is going to play third, and Raffy is going to DH. We all are in the winning business, and [Devers] understands that. It’s like everything – you don’t have to agree with it, but at the end of the day, [this is] what we’re going to do to perform every single day.”
As the season opened against the Rangers, Devers remained in his usual number two spot in the batting order, positioned between Jarren Duran and Alex Bregman. However, his results at the plate have been disastrous:
- Thursday: 0-for-4 with three strikeouts (including one with two runners on)
- Friday: 0-for-4 with four strikeouts
- Saturday: 0-for-4 with three strikeouts (though he did earn an RBI with a bases-loaded walk)
- Sunday: Despite expectations that Cora might sit him to clear his head, Devers played—going hitless again with two weak groundouts and two more strikeouts before drawing a ninth-inning walk.
- Monday: In an afternoon game against Baltimore, Devers walked twice but still went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts.
After five games as Boston’s primary designated hitter, Devers is hitless in 19 at-bats with 15 strikeouts. He has swung and missed 34 times, plus a couple of foul tips. The big question now is how long the Red Sox will stick with this plan. Boston, now 1-4 after four straight losses, needs him to start producing soon.
Historically, Devers is a .278 hitter, and March/April has been one of his weaker months at the plate (second only to August). Given his track record, there’s reason to believe he will turn things around. The key question is when. For a team with playoff aspirations, they need their number two hitter to be both happy and productive—otherwise, the designated hitter experiment could unravel quickly.