The Boston Red Sox have gotten on quite well in the post-Rafael Devers era. They made the playoffs last season after trading their greatest power threat and, despite an ugly start in 2026, the Sox have established themselves as a top playoff team following an historic winning run.
That doesn't mean Devers would have no place on this current Red Sox team, though. The corner infielder/designated hitter has finally broken out with the San Francisco Giants and he's reminding Sox fans of just how impactful he can be (subscription required).
Devers leveled out after struggling severely at the beggining of the year, but his recent performance has shot him back into relevance as one of the best hitters in the league. Devers is batting .421/.522/.982 with nine home runs and a shocking 22 RBI in his last 15 games. He's getting on base every way he can with 11 walks, as well.
His slash line this season has reached .260/.342/.522 through 145 games. He's reaached 35 home runs, which ranks eighth in the league this season, the same rank as his 92 RBI. His 36 doubles have overtaken Wilyer Abreu and two other hitters for first place in MLB.
Rafael Devers ranking near the top of multiple offensive categories following torrid streak has Red Sox fans missing him all over again
Rafael Devers went crazy last week, hitting .385 (10-for-26) with six homers, 13 RBI, two doubles, seven walks, eight runs, a 1.154 slugging percentage and a .515 on-base percentage 🤯 pic.twitter.com/2fWHE8KedY
— SFGiants (@SFGiants) September 8, 2026
The Red Sox's sluggers have defied some expectations set for them this season, like the ZiPS projection that stated no Sox hitter would reach 20 home runs this season — Willson Contreras, Abreu and Jarren Duran have reached 20 or more long balls on the year, with Contreras and Abreu hitting career-high marks in the process. But Devers has nine more home runs than Contreras, Boston's leader this season, and he's showed no signs of slowing down.
Before the All-Star break, the Red Sox had the fewest home runs in the major leagues at 85. They've blasted 66 homers since their return from the break, the third-most in the league, but it's still worth it to wonder where Boston would be with a slugger like Devers in the lineup
Maybe if Devers remained with the Red Sox, they would've pulled off a few more wins earlier in the year when they couldn't overcome a two-run deficit to save their lives. Just three more wins would've had the Sox ahead of the New York Yankees in the Wild Card standings and given them home field advantage in the Wild Card round, if they could maintain their advantage until playoff time.
Devers' relationship with Boston's front office was obviously untenable and the past is the past. There's no reunion between the two sides coming and Devers seemed primed to be a Giant for the rest of his career, since that contract may be impossible to trade a second time. But some Red Sox fans will continue to imagine a future in which Devers and Craig Breslow resolved their differences, because seeing Devers mash as Boston's home run leader would've made this season even more special.
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