The Boston Red Sox opened the 2025 MLB season on a high note, picking up a 5-2 win over the Texas Rangers on Opening Day. Unfortunately, it's been downhill from there as the Red Sox's record has since dropped to 1-3 with three straight losses to the Rangers, largely due to an offense that only mustered six total runs along the way.
Needless to say, it hasn't been the start to the new season that the Red Sox have envisioned. Although there's plenty of time to turn things around, the club's slow start is likely bad news for a handful of players — including these three Boston veterans who likely just played their final Opening Day with the team.
1. Rafael Devers, DH
Nobody would be surprised if Rafael Devers is no longer with the Red Sox after the 2025 season. The veteran slugger created headlines in spring training due to his less-than-enthusiastic reaction towards free-agent signing Alex Bregman stealing the former's starting third base job.
Red Sox manager Alex Cora worked hard to smooth out the situation, and it seemed like Devers eventually came around to the idea of being the designated hitter. After all, he's more than proven that he can handle DH duties after amassing 200 home runs and 638 RBIs in the eight previous seasons.
Fast forward through the season-opening series, and Devers is off to one of the worst starts in big-league history. The three-time All-Star is currently hitless through his first 16 at-bats while his 12 strikeouts along the way have set the record for the most through four games in MLB history.
The Red Sox admitted in early March that Devers was having issues with his timing at the plate, and it's clear that they've yet to be resolved. It's beginning to appear as if the 28-year-old left-handed bat isn't the player that he once was, which might be hard for Boston officials to stomach given that he's signed through 2033 with $284 million remaining on his contract.
If Devers can't reverse course by proving that he's worth every penny of his deal, it wouldn't be shocking if the Red Sox attempted to trade him during the offseason.