The season is still young, a lot can change, blah, blah, blah. But as this moment, Rafael Devers appears to be on his way to the best year of his career. What’s been the catalyst to his resurgence? The Red Sox think it’s all about plate discipline. The 12.2% walk rate Devers is currently carrying is easily the best mark of his career. (Julian McWilliams, Boston Globe)
Devers isn’t the only Red Sox player having a career season, Jamie Westbrook is, too! In his case, though, the career-year thing is kind of happening by default, as he only just made his Major League debut yesterday, after riding busses and eating cold cut sandwiches in the minors for the last 11 years. (Christopher Smith, MassLive)
Hot-hitting prospects Matthew Lugo and Kristian Campbell are still riding buses and eating cold cut sandwiches, but hopefully those sandwiches now come with fancier mustard. The two versatile infielders/outfielders have been promoted to Worcester and Greenville, respectively. (Alex Speier, Boston Globe)
Don’t expect Lugo to jump up to Boston any time soon, if for no other reason than 40-man roster management. Having said that, though, the Red Sox infield depth is once again being tested, as both Vaughn Grissom and Romy Gonzalez have landed on the IL with hamstring injuries. Neither injury appears serious at this stage, though Grissom is getting an MRI. (Christopher Smith, MassLive)
Despite the struggles with injuries, the Red Sox are a .500 team. And, thanks to the new postseason format, being mediocre means you’re in the hunt. So does that mean the Sox are going to be buyers at the trade deadline? (Jim Bowden, The Athletic)
Oh hey! The College World Series is here! If you’re like just about every baseball fan, you’re only vaguely aware of college baseball’s existence, but it’s a fun tournament. Here’s a primer to get you started. Bryant is the only New England school in the entire field, but I used to live down the street from Long Island University in Brooklyn, so that’s my team. (Micael Baumann, FanGraphs)
