ARLINGTON, Texas — After a difficult spring training for Rafael Devers, the start of the season hasn’t offered much of a reprieve.
Devers has gone 0-for-8 with seven strikeouts, including a key strikeout Friday with the bases loaded in the seventh inning as the Boston Red Sox fell 4-1 to the Texas Rangers.
It’s been only two games, but after a spring training in which Devers logged just 15 plate appearances while building back his swing following an offseason of rehabbing his shoulders, it’s been hard not to notice how much he has struggled offensively.
“I know that I haven’t done my job and I haven’t done what I’m supposed to do,” Devers said through interpreter Carlos Villoria-Benítez. “But I know that everything will change.”
Devers finished last season on the injured list, dealing with inflammation in both shoulders. Over his final four games, he struck out 11 times. Adding that to his rough start this season, Devers has gone 1-for-23 with 18 strikeouts in his last six regular-season games.
Manager Alex Cora wouldn’t use Devers’ lack of spring training at-bats as an excuse, noting that Wilyer Abreu had limited game action in spring training and has gone 5-for-7 with two walks, hitting two home runs in Thursday‘s opener.
“I think it’s just one of those that (Devers is) not catching up with the fastball, and he’s going to keep working. That’s what he’s been doing the whole time, and he’ll be OK,” Cora said.
While Devers is still finding his rhythm at the plate after a truncated spring, he’s also finding his routine as a full-time designated hitter. Cora had said Devers would serve as DH, but until Friday, there had been no indication that Devers would only DH.
Before the game, Cora was asked if Devers would play third base when Alex Bregman needed a day off.
“No, Raffy is going to DH,” Cora said, noting Romy González would serve as the backup third baseman.
“We had a conversation, we talked about it,” Cora said of Devers. “He’s DHing. He’s the DH of the Boston Red Sox.
“One thing is we don’t want him to overthink it. Don’t get caught up in the whole thing. He’ll be OK.”
Perhaps it’s an attempt to limit distractions for Devers as he transitions to DHing regularly, but Devers has continued to take grounders at third base in pregame drills alongside Bregman in what has amounted to a strange situation.
Because he’s not playing in the field in between at-bats, he’s had to alter the routine he had for the first eight years of his career, when he was playing third regularly.
“Right now, we’re in the season. I’m a DH, and I feel like you guys need to change the subject because that is over and I’m the DH,” he said after the game.
“I have my routine,” he said. “I try to stay warm and go warm to the plate. But like I said before, it’s only been two games, and tomorrow I’ll come back here and I’ll try to hit the ball.”
Though Devers appeared in only five spring training games, he took several more at-bats in live batting practice and minor-league games. Cora remains confident Devers will find his rhythm.
“There’s a lot of work in the cage, machine work and angle work and all that stuff they do over there,” Cora said. “This is something that sometimes this happens, and it just happened in two games. We’ve seen it happen before, and at one point he’s going to catch up with one, hopefully to left-center. I always feel like, as a hitter, that’s where your strength is, especially him. The big part of the field comes into play, and he can do what he can do.”
Devers’ struggles at the plate were matched by a lackluster start from Tanner Houck in his season debut.
Houck allowed four runs on seven hits while walking three and striking out two. He threw 89 pitches, 55 for strikes, and induced just eight swings-and-misses.
Houck gave up two solo homers to Jonah Heim. He gave up just 11 homers in 30 starts last season.
Houck ran into trouble in the sixth, allowing the first two batters to reach, though he was bailed out by center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela, who threw out the runner advancing to third. Houck nearly escaped the jam after another out, but a double down the left-field line scored another run. Cora lifted Houck in favor of reliever Greg Weissert, but Weissert allowed another run to score, adding to Houck’s line.
“It was a little rough in the last inning,” Houck said. “A few things to clean up. I think delivery-wise in spring training, I was too linear. I’m still battling it here and there; it’s not an overnight fix for the feel.”
One bright spot was Abreu’s continued torrid streak at the plate. After reaching safely in seven straight plate appearances, he finally recorded an out in the ninth with a popup in foul territory.
Per Elias, his streak tied Christian Vázquez (2017) and Ted Cox (1977) for reaching base safely in the most consecutive plate appearances to start a season for the Red Sox.
(Top photo: Winslow Townson / Getty Images)
