SAN ANTONIO — Rafael Devers is still young but is no longer a kid.
His role with the Red Sox, based on his track record and the 10-year, $313.5 million contract that will run through 2033, is that of a veteran who is expected to anchor the club. He can’t fulfill that description when he can’t play.
In deference to that notion, the three-time All-Star — who recently turned 28 — is taking a different approach to his offseason. After a year in which he missed 24 games because of injury — his most since 2018 — Devers has changed his workout program, according to his agent, Nelson Montes de Oca.
While Devers had typically prepared for the season on his own in the Dominican Republic before heading to the Tampa area in January, this year he’s following a strength and conditioning program set by team staff that includes the earliest starting date in his career.
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“The last couple years, injuries have been playing a factor [in his performance],” said Montes de Oca. “Injuries happen to him just because of the way he plays. And I think he understands that, so he’s getting ready this year earlier.
“He wants to go out and play 150, 160 games. He understands that he’s getting older, so he needs to start a little bit earlier with that preparation and try to do whatever he can to prevent injuries next year.”
Devers, despite a left shoulder injury at the start of 2024 and an early-season bruise to his knee, was amid his best season through late July. But on a dive on a grounder to his left in Colorado July 23, he landed awkwardly on his right shoulder.
“I don’t think he ever fully recovered from that,” said Montes de Oca. “I told him, ‘You’d probably be better off going to the IL.’ But he wants to play every day. He said, ‘No, I’m OK. I’m getting treatment. I should be fine.’ He’s one of those players that, even though he understands his numbers might take a hit, him being out there helps the team, so he’s going to be out there.”
Though Devers stayed in the lineup and continued to perform at a high level over the next two weeks, his health and performance eroded. From Aug. 3 through the end of the season, he hit .197/.287/.299 with just three homers and a 28 percent strikeout rate, down from a .304/.383/.609 line with 25 homers and a 23 percent strikeout rate through Aug. 2.
Over the final five weeks of the season, his bat speed collapsed. He couldn’t drive the ball, hitting .169/.261/.182 with no homers in his last 21 games before sitting out for the last nine days of the season, with his absence proving particularly painful.
“He understands he’s the face of the franchise, and he takes pride in that,” said Montes de Oca. “He takes pride in the team winning. When the team is not doing well, he puts a lot of pressure on himself and takes full responsibility for it.”
With that in mind, the Red Sox approached him about changing his offseason program, which will still take place in his home region of Samaná before transitioning to Florida in January. Devers signed off.
“There’s an opportunity to help build strength and durability by getting a jump-start on the offseason,” said chief baseball officer Craig Breslow. “It’s a recommendation that came from the organization. We saw last year, Raffy’s got a willingness to play through discomfort and injuries, but to the extent that we can get him healthy and feeling great, it will help a lot.”
Devers is hopeful that the extra work will boost his durability and allow him to improve his defense.
Though advanced metrics such as DRS and Outs Above Average (OAA) grade him as one of the worst defensive third basemen, he was amid one of his most consistent defensive seasons until the July injury. But he had to scale back his defensive work and ultimately struggled to throw with his shoulder injury.
He ended the year being graded minus-6 OAA, meaning he converted six fewer balls in play into outs than an average third baseman. That performance has led to questions about his long-term fit at third.
Breslow, who noted that Devers “made progress” at third in 2024, hasn’t ruled out a switch of positions, only saying the team wouldn’t consider it without discussing it with Devers. But Montes de Oca made clear that Devers still sees third base as part of his identity.
“He is a third baseman, and he will continue to play third base and work hard to get better at it. That’s his position, that’s what he likes to play, and that’s what he will be playing,” said Montes de Oca. “At least in the near future, that’s where he will be. Down the road, it’s hard to say. But as of right now, in the near future, he is a third baseman.”
Above all else, Devers is a force in the lineup when healthy, but one who has worn out down the stretch. Through eight big league seasons, he has a .294/.348/.553 line through July that has fallen off to .257/.318/.446 down the stretch.
He’s aware of that pattern, and from early accounts this offseason, prepared to do something about it. At a time when the Red Sox are exploring ways to improve at the GM Meetings — rotation and bullpen upgrades, as well as righthanded thunder — a full season of peak Devers offers an additional factor in the pursuit of improvement.
“A motivated Raffy is a really good thing for the Boston Red Sox,” said Breslow.
