It’s been a busy spring training for Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers; unfortunately, not much of it has taken place on the field. Devers has been the talk of camp since he insisted on an unwillingness to relinquish third base to newly acquired infielder Alex Bregman.
While he’s since softened that stance, Devers has yet to participate in game action in Fort Myers, hampered by two sore shoulders the team says are left over from injuries suffered in 2024. His 2025 spring debut, scheduled for either today or Wednesday evening, has been pushed back again, this time to Saturday.
“He’s been on point as far as what he needs, as far as the swing,” manager Alex Cora told MassLive on Tuesday, “The whole path on the inside pitch is something that he lost last year because of the shoulders. He’s been working very hard on that path.”
Cora added that Devers did not do any swinging over the offseason to strengthen his shoulders. Before making his game debut this weekend, Devers will test himself against Red Sox starters Garrett Crochet and Walker Buehler during backfield sessions at the team’s complex this week.
In 2024, Rafael Devers batted .272 with 28 home runs and 83 RBIs over 138 games. He is at the start of a 10-year, $313.5 million contract extension with the Red Sox, effective from 2024 through 2033. The deal is the largest contract in Red Sox history.
Devers’ ’25 Spring Debut Delayed Yet Again