BOSTON — After a historic 28-5 loss to the Blue Jays on Friday night, the Red Sox were eager to turn the page, with a chance to win their first American League East series of this season still in play this weekend at Fenway Park.
That will be a lot harder now — as will the rest of their 10-game homestand — as the next day revealed the worst outcome of that contest was still to come.
Ahead of Saturday’s game, the Red Sox placed third baseman Rafael Devers on the 10-day injured list with right hamstring inflammation. Boston’s best player this year by a wide margin, Devers felt discomfort in his hamstring after his fifth-inning at-bat on Friday, his last of the night. He was replaced by Bobby Dalbec at the hot corner in the top of the sixth.
“Well, he says he felt it in the swing,” said manager Alex Cora. “If you see him running the bases on the first [hit], the double, he didn’t look too good running to first. On the swing [in the fifth], he grabbed it, and I was like, ‘Oh, are you OK?’ And he was like, ‘Nah.’”
When Cora spoke to the media pregame Saturday, the Red Sox were not yet sure of the injury outlook for Devers, as the 25-year-old was undergoing testing to determine the severity of the issue. An hour before first pitch, the club made the call that he would need a stint on the IL to recover.
In corresponding moves, outfielder Jaylin Davis was selected to the Major League roster from Triple-A Worcester, while outfielder Kiké Hernández was transferred to the 60-day IL with his lingering right hip flexor strain, which opened up a spot on the club’s 40-man.
Rookie infielder Jeter Downs took Devers’ place at third base in Saturday’s contest, slotting into the No. 9 spot in the lineup.
Devers entered the day leading the American League in hits with 113, while slashing a torrid .324/.379/.602 with a .981 OPS. Along the way, he has tallied 29 doubles, 22 homers and 55 RBIs in 87 games.
Behind that dominant first half, Devers was selected to the AL’s starting lineup for the All-Star Game for the second straight season, beating out the Guardians’ José Ramírez in the balloting. Devers played in that Midsummer Classic on Tuesday in Los Angeles, and Cora said Devers felt good while he was there. He played two innings, drawing a walk his only time up, before making way for Ramírez.
Even though Devers was dealing with a back issue during the series against the Yankees in New York leading into the All-Star break — playing the full allotment of innings in only one of the three games — Cora added that there were “no complaints” with the status of the hamstring until Friday night.
“Probably this is related, but [it’s also] something that happened yesterday,” Cora said. “We’ve got to be proactive in this one.”