Position Player who gets to Strut
The grueling major league schedule takes time to adapt to, especially for a 20-year old who raced through the minor league system. Rafael Devers was starting to show signs of hitting that rookie wall this month. He was still collecting a fair amount of hits but the prestigious power that he flashed following his big league call-up evaporated, with Dever going over a full month without a home run. Even worse was his dip in production in the field. Devers appeared better than advertised at third base when he first arrived but lately, the mistakes had been piling up.
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Even worse was his dip in production in the field. Devers appeared better than advertised at third base when he first arrived but lately, the mistakes had been piling up.
The Red Sox sat Devers on the bench for a game last week in the wake of five consecutive games in which he committed an error. With a scheduled off day to follow, Devers had two full days to clear his head and recharge his batteries.
The brief rest paid off. Devers returned to collect five hits in 11 at-bats during the weekend series in Cincinnati. He also fielded his position cleanly without committing an error in the series.
Devers blasted a three-run homer in the fifth inning of Friday night’s game that proved to be the game-winner against the Reds. Two days later he put Boston on the board with a solo shot in a game the Red Sox would go on to win by one run.
Over the past week, Devers leads the team with a .450 batting average, nine hits. two home runs and a 1.276 OPS. The rookie is finishing the season strong as he approaches his first taste of the postseason.