Rafael Devers is on a trajectory to be one of the best hitters in Boston Red Sox history. He’s only 28 years old and has recorded exactly 200 home runs, a career OPS of .856, and a career WAR of 15 in his seven seasons. But his start to 2025 has been a nightmarish one. He’s leading MLB with 15 strikeouts and is now 0-for-19 this season. While it’s only five games, this is incredibly alarming for him and the Red Sox. Amid Devers’ struggles, so fans are going so far as to call for Devers to be demoted to Triple-A Worcester. Admittedly, Devers has been incredibly frustrating. Still, this is also only five games into a long slog of a season. These two statements are both correct.
There has been much speculation as to the reason(s) behind Devers’ slump, from tweets to video demonstrations. Let’s cover it all and get the general idea.
Figuring Out Rafael Devers’ Early Season Struggles
Batting Stance
One analysis from Tommy Maestas compared Devers’ grip and swing this year to prior seasons. He stated that Rafael Devers used to hold the bat in a way that naturally turned his right hand during his swing. This would help with the bat angle and where the ball would go. However, now in 2025, he’s holding the bat in a way that almost forces him to bend his right hand. This makes his swing less effective than it usually is. While Maestas was just talking about how he was gripping the bat, Red Sox legend Jim Rice offered a more in-depth analysis on NESN.
He stated that Devers hasn’t been able to read the ball as well as he should because he’s been leaning with his right shoulder when he swings instead of his left. The Hall of Famer also added that he should have a shorter and quicker load to his stance instead of the long load that he has. If he can shorten up his swing, Rice believes that it’ll help Devers get out of his slump and into a groove.
Meanwhile, Mark DeRosa stated on MLB Network that for a player to be fully adjusted for the season, they’d have to have around 50 plate appearances in spring training. Rafael Devers had only 15. As for him striking out 15 times, DeRosa focused on his timing and the more open stance he had compared to last year. Since Devers has a huge load on his back leg when he strides, he has to lift his front leg quickly. Last year, he was early (or rather on time) with his stride. This year, he’s starting an extra second later than usual. Since he’s starting a second later, now he’s playing catch-up and can’t focus on the ball coming.
Mental Mindset
Rafael Devers has been going through a lot since Spring Training. He was expected to be the starting third baseman on the team, much to the fans’ chagrin, because he’s one of the worst defensive third basemen in the league. Then, Alex Bregman was signed to the team in February. A media debacle ensued when Devers himself refused to play DH if given the option to. Meanwhile, Bregman wanted to play wherever to help the team win. The clubhouse immediately followed behind Bregman because of his natural leadership, when Devers was presumably the team leader, or at least supposed to be.
Then, Devers presumably realized that he wanted what the team wanted, and that was to win. Since then, he obliged when manager Alex Cora officially moved him to the full-time DH. Now, in the present, Devers’ slump is a heavy thing to deal with. According to Adam London of NESN.com, Devers stated that he’s “thinking too much at the plate.” From what it seems like from a mental standpoint, that would very well be the case. While people argue that being a DH is like dwelling on your previous at-bat until you’re up at the plate, it’s logical. However, there’s no other option for him, as he’s not going back to third base.
A Tough Situation
An added complication limiting Devers’ options is that Kristian Campbell has been great early on as the starting second baseman. This means that Alex Bregman won’t be playing there, and he’s been a major improvement at third. The truth is that transitioning to DH is a very hard thing to deal with mentally. However, Cora had made the best decision he could, and he’s been putting Devers out there every day to hopefully get out of this massive slump. It’s concerning for the short term, but many have faith that Rafael Devers will be okay, especially with having a day off today to recollect himself. Hopefully, things will change soon.
