After a great performance on Opening Day, Rafael Devers is not in the lineup for the second game in a row on Saturday.
Devers was not in Friday night’s game due to soreness in his left shoulder, but he did not rule out playing on Saturday.
Alex Cora said before Saturday night’s game, “Most likely he’ll play tomorrow.”
“We have to be cautious with him,” the Sox manager added. “He felt better in the batting cage, took a few swings, but it doesn’t make sense to start him.”
However, he did not rule out the possibility of Devers pinch-hitting if needed. The third baseman has caused trouble for the Mariners throughout his career. He started his Major League career in Seattle in July ’17, hitting his first big-league home run in the following game. He has a .336 average with a 1.014 OPS and 10 home runs against the Mariners, and his performance in Thursday night’s opener (home run, double) extended his T-Mobile Park on-base streak to 15 games.
Pablo Reyes will take Devers’ place at third base, which he did not do for the Sox last year – he played at the hot corner four times – and he only did it once for the Milwaukee Brewers in 2022.
“He performed well, especially towards the end,” Cora said about Reyes’ spring training work. “We primarily had him at second and short, and he had a lot of time at first base, but he made some plays at third base and can also play in the outfield.”
