Rafael Devers’ absence from the Boston Red Sox lineup has been glaring since his shocking departure, but the veteran slugger hasn’t been himself with the San Francisco Giants.
Devers has cooled off considerably since homering against his former team on June 21. Through 15 games with San Francisco, he has slashed .203/.299/.356 with two homers and six RBI. He has struck out an MLB-leading 25 times in that span.
Both the Red Sox (6-9) and Giants (5-10) have struggled since the blockbuster deal, but Boston has actually averaged more runs per game (4.53) than San Francisco (3.33) without the three-time All-Star.
Sam Kennedy and Craig Breslow give their initial reactions and explain why the Red Sox traded Rafael Devers.
Despite his recent woes, Devers is confident he’ll turn things around soon.
“I’m feeling very comfortable right now,” Devers told the San Francisco Standard’s John Shea on Wednesday. “Things aren’t going the way I want for me or the team, but I know eventually I’m going to get out of it and the team is going to get out of it. …
“It happens to all the hitters,” he continued. “I know I’m trying to make my adjustments. I know that I’m trying to contribute to the team, trying to get my hits and also contribute to wins.”
The Red Sox received right-hander Jordan Hicks, left-hander Kyle Harrison, minor-league outfielder James Tibbs III, and minor-league righty Jose Bello from the Giants in exchange for Devers. Hicks is the only player to appear in a game for Boston thus far.
The hard-throwing Hicks has allowed one earned run on three hits and one walk with one strikeout across two appearances (1.2 innings) out of the Red Sox bullpen. Harrison, MLB’s top left-handed pitching prospect heading into the 2024 season, has let up seven earned runs on 13 hits and three walks while striking out six in two starts (eight innings) at Triple-A Worcester.
Tibbs is slashing .280/.373/.340 with 13 strikeouts and seven walks in 13 games at Double-A. The 13th overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft has 14 hits with the Portland Sea Dogs, including one double and a triple.
Bello has made two appearances in rookie ball for the Florida Complex League Red Sox, allowing just one hit and tallying five strikeouts with four walks across five scoreless innings.
It’s far too early to declare the “winner” of the trade, but so far, it hasn’t hurt the Red Sox or helped the Giants like many expected it would. That said, we should expect Devers to snap out of his slump and return to All-Star form, just as he did after starting the season 0-for-19 with 15 strikeouts.
