Will the slugger's health woes soon have domino effect on Boston's depth chart?
The Boston Red Sox are expected to make a lot of changes next season, but there’s one adjustment that no one saw coming.
As Rafael Devers has been suffering mightily from shoulder problems all season long, some are suggesting Devers’s time as a defensive player could be coming to an end.
In a post to X on Sunday, Boston Globe’s Peter Abraham envisioned that not only will Devers move from third base to DH in 2025, but that such a move will necessitate trading current DH Masataka Yoshida.
“Devers spoke to reporters after Game 1 and said he had been dealing with the shoulder issues all season,” Abraham said. “.272./354./516 even with the slump at the end. Have to wonder if they can move Yoshida and make Devers a full-time DH.”
Abraham’s point is too logical to be seen as mere conjecture, even if it’s way too early for the Red Sox brass to have even considered moving Yoshida.
Parting ways with Yoshida’s $18.6 million per year would also be beneficial for Boston's salary sheet, although Abraham’s insinuation is correct in that it might be difficult to convince another club to take on that money.
Ultimately, Devers hasn’t looked like himself in a long time, as manager Alex Cora alluded to over the weekend.
The Red Sox need to figure out how to manage the star so that he gets back to normal plate production next season. Most of all, Boston needs to keep Devers healthy.
