Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora delivered bad news regarding Rafael Devers‘ knee injury prior to the team’s April 18 game.
“He didn’t feel great yesterday, he felt like he wasn’t able to stay on his leg,” Cora said, per the Boston Herald. “I talked to him last night, I said ‘Well, let’s do this so we know.’”
Cora is referring to Devers receiving an MRI on his injured knee.
“Hopefully, it’s what we think it is and we deal with it,” Cora said. “And (he) gets treatment, all that stuff, but I think it’s more for him to (have) peace of mind.”
Devers played in Boston’s April 17 game and went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.
“He played because he wanted to play,” said Cora. “Just, he wasn’t able to stay on his back leg yesterday.”
When Cora was asked whether Devers might be headed to the injury list, he responded with, “If that’s the case, that’s the case.”
Devers’ Injury-Riddled 2024 Season
This knee injury isn’t the only ailment Devers has dealt with this season.
The Red Sox star third baseman has only played in 11 of Boston’s first 19 games. Initially, Devers was dealing with a shoulder injury that had been bothering him since spring training.
“He’s battling with the shoulder,” Cora said on April 11. “You can see on his swing… You can see his reactions, very similar to a few years ago with the elbow.”
Cora is right in saying that Devers has looked off at the plate this year. He is currently hitting .188 on the season with 2 home runs across 48 plate appearances.
This is a far cry from Devers’ .279 career average.
In another interview with NESN on April 12, Cora explained why the Red Sox were being cautious with Devers’ injury.
“You know, we have to take care of MTC. Like I’ve been saying all along, it’s too early to be grinding… If we don’t take care of him, then, you know, something worse is going to happen.”
Less than one week after that quote, Devers went down with something worse.
The Red Sox’s Injury Woes
Devers isn’t the only Red Sox star player who has been sidelined due to injury this season.
Trevor Story dislocated his shoulder against the Los Angeles Angels on April 5. He was forced to undergo season-ending shoulder surgery on April 12 as a result.
On April 16, Red Sox starting pitcher Garrett Whitlock exited their game against the Cleveland Guardians after four innings. It was then discovered that Whitlock suffered a left oblique strain, which placed him on the 15-day injured list.
Before the regular season began, Boston’s new ace Lucas Giolito suffered a partially torn UCL, which required Tommy John surgery and will keep him out the entire 2024 season.
Considering this slew of injuries to Boston’s top players, it’s remarkable that they’ve managed to compile a 10-9 record on the year.
Yet, considering how elite the AL East is, floating around .500 won’t be enough for Boston to make the playoffs in 2024.
Hopefully these Red Sox injury issues slow down soon, or else they’ll be AL East bottom-dwellers for a third straight season.
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