While the Boston Red Sox took two out of three from the Minnesota Twins over the weekend, they also lost third baseman Rafael Devers for the rest of the season due to a shoulder injury.
The 27-year-old originally suffered the injury back in spring training and played with it throughout the season, which led to re-aggravation multiple times throughout the year.
It's something that even Devers himself will admit affected him throughout the year.
“(It affected me) a lot. Because it never stopped hurting me,” Devers said through translator Carlos Villoria Benítez (transcribed by MassLive). “I never felt like myself this year. “I did my best to help the team win. The numbers weren’t too bad or too great. They were just OK.”
Devers finished the year hitting .271 with an .871 OPS, 28 home runs and 83 RBIs. Prior to the drastic dip over the last month or so, he was rivaling his best year in the majors.
Thankfully, the slugger isn't expected to need shoulder surgery and should be ready to go in the near future with rest and rehab.
“Thank God it’s nothing too serious,” Devers said. “So I’ll be able to be at full strength for spring training. Obviously, it was good news that it was nothing serious and just need to get ready for next year.”
Devers earned a lot of respect from fans and even his teammates for playing through the injury. He wants to set that example and be the best version of himself that he can be.
“I always try to go out there and give my 100%,” Devers said. “Obviously sometimes the body doesn’t let you give your 100%. But for me, I try to go out there every day to compete. And obviously, when your body doesn’t let you be 100%, your mind is. So that’s what my mentality is. I try to compete out there even if my body is not 100%. My mentality is to try to help the team win.”
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