After three consecutive seasons where they failed to make the playoffs, the Boston Red Sox entered the 2025 season hopeful to end this streak. The Red Sox generated a ton of hype this offseason with their acquisitions of Garrett Crochet and Alex Bregman, along with the call-up of Kristian Campbell.
The go-to guy in charge of leading this team back to the promised land is Rafael Devers, who’s made headlines throughout the last few months. The controversy started in Spring Training when Devers was initially reluctant to cede third base to Bregman. During this time, Devers received criticism for speaking against the move. Towards the end of Spring Training, Devers went on with the move to full-time designated hitter, ceding third base to Bregman.
Devers continued to face negative criticism as he started the season 0/19 in his new role, with 15 strikeouts. This historically bad start raised questions if Devers would ever be the hitter he once was. Devers' play in the first five games generated overreactions from the media and the fans, but it quickly came to a close as Devers proved doubters wrong with his play the last two weeks.
Devers Has Proved Doubters Wrong
Since the start of April, Devers has bounced back into his old self, hitting .350 this month with one home run and eight RBIs. During this span, Devers has had five multi-hit games and has a hit in eight out of the last 12 games. His best game was on April 6th against the St. Louis Cardinals, contributing four hits, two of which were doubles, and three RBIs in an 18-7 win over the Cardinals.
Although his slash line is .234/.351/.359 through 17 games, Devers’ play the last two weeks should quiet any noise. The baseball season is a marathon, and it doesn’t matter how you start the season, it's how you finish it. Bad and good stretches are bound to happen but now since he’s back on track, expect the Red Sox to win more games because of Devers’ play.