BOSTON, MA: The Boston Red Sox currently sit in fourth place of the AL East, with a record of 76-78. Currently, Boston has a slim chance of reaching the Wild Card spot, but that chance just got slimmer as they Red Sox have placed star third baseman, Rafael Devers, on the 10-day IL due to left shoulder inflammation.
Following yesterday's 4-2 loss to the Twins in extra innings, Red Sox manager Alex Cora informed reporters, including Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic, that Rafael Devers will have an MRI on his problematic right shoulder today. Devers was taken out of the game before the eleventh inning began, and Cora stated that the slugger had been attempting to play through Friday's discomfort despite a sore shoulder from pregame batting practice.
This is probably the last time Cora will see Devers for this season, but did say, "We'll see where we're at" after the MRI. The Red Sox are virtually out of the playoff race with eight games left, so the team will probably play it safe with their star third baseman.
Devers has spent a significant portion of the season suffering with shoulder pain, so it's reasonable to question whether his will to play through it has contributed to his dire slump. The third baseman's slash line through his first 488 plate appearances was an amazing .296/.375/.587, but over his past 113 plate appearances, it has only dropped to .172/.265/.212. Devers' 34 wRC+ ranks him third-worst among all qualified batters since August 19.
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