Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers exited the club’s loss to the White Sox earlier Saturday due to left knee soreness, though manager Alex Cora told reporters (including Tom Caron of NESN) following the game that the club is hopeful that the issue isn’t more serious than that. Caron also relayedcomments from Devers himself about the issue. The 27-year-old noted that he would not be in the lineup for tomorrow’s series finale against Chicago but that he hoped to be back in the lineup for the start of the club’s series against the Phillies in Boston on Tuesday.
The news is yet another blow to a club that has dealt with injury woes up and down the lineup all season. Devers has generally been the one consistent offensive presence that the Red Sox have been able to rely on this year. Only Ceddanne Rafaela and Jarren Duran have appeared in more games for Boston than Devers this season and the star third baseman has dominated to the tune of a .286/.376/.563 slash line. That’s good for a 155 wRC+, the seventh-highest figure in the AL and fourth among all MLB infielders.
While the Red Sox appear to be optimistic that they’ll only be without that production for a game or two, it’s worth noting that this isn’t the first time Devers’ knee has given him trouble this season. Cora told reporters (including those at the Associated Press) back in April that Devers had undergone an MRI on his left knee and was dealing with a bone bruise. The issue did not require a trip to the injured list but did force Devers to miss five games back in April and if the injury proves to have worsened it wouldn’t be a shock to see Devers wind up on the IL now that it has flared up again.
