Five games into the 2025 MLB regular season, and Red Sox designated hitter Rafael Devers has looked about as lost as you can look at the plate.
After being vocal about his displeasure for giving up being the full-time third baseman role to prized free agent acquisition Alex Bregman, Devers eventually - at least publicly - came around to the idea of moving into the full-time designated hitter role.
So far, not so good:
- 0-19
- 15 strikeouts
- .174 OBP
- 4 walks
- 1 RBI
With Devers’ offensive struggles coinciding with a 1-4 start for Boston to start the season, Red Sox manager Alex Cora was asked by WEEI’s Andy Hart on Wednesday if he thinks Devers’ issues are stemming from no longer playing the field every day.
“No, no, no - this is more mechanics,” Cora said during his weekly visit with WEEI Afternoons. “And you know, he’s in a bad spot mechanically. And he’s been grinding through it. You know, just not the start we wanted [or] the start that he wants. But it’s not related to the DH.
“I think he was very vocal in Texas. They brought up the subject, and he’s like, ‘Hey man, let’s turn the page on that, because my swing-and-miss doesn’t have to do with that.’ So we’re helping him with everything, you know? It’s a new routine, we know that. But whoever thinks that not playing defense equals swing-and-missing, I disagree with that. I think it’s more about the individual and the things that we have to do to get back locked in.”
“Does this tie back into, he got sort of the late start to the spring, and it was pushed a couple times?” Hart asked in a follow-up. “Does he just need time and at bats now?”
“I can say that and use it as an excuse, but I won’t do it because our right fielder right now is one of the best hitters in the league, and he didn’t have too many at bats in the big field, right?” Cora responded, referencing 2024 Gold Glove-winning outfielder Wilyer Abreu’s hot start to 2025.
“The way I explain it - like, you get two at bats in the exhibition game, but they were getting nine the next day. Was it against Double-A, Triple-A, big leaguers? All depends on [the] day, but they were getting plenty of at bats in the backfields. Obviously the adrenaline, you know, the third deck and the lights are different when he starts here. But I think as the repetitions and the at bats to get ready for the season, he was in a good spot.”
Devers will have a chance to snap out of this slump when the Red Sox take on the Orioles in game two of their three game series in Baltimore. First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m. ET.
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