Rafael Devers is not off to a good start at the plate for the Red Sox.
Entering Wednesday night’s game against the Baltimore Orioles, the three-time All-Star is carrying an 0-for-19 slump through the first five games of the 2025 season with 15 strikeouts.
Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow discussed whether or not Devers’ shoulder injuries at the end of the 2024 campaign are what’s hindering the slugger to begin the season on the latest episode of NESN’s “310 To Left” podcast.
“Yeah, I mean the shoulder issues were serious enough, obviously, that they led him to the (injured list) last year,” Breslow told Tom Caron and Alex Speier. “We saw the impact that that had on his production down the stretch, and then the most important thing this offseason was for him to rest and then strengthen the shoulders, and he did both of those things.
“He was very diligent in ensuring that the shoulders had the requisite strength needed to go through a full season and swing with just the level of aggression that we know Raffy swings the bat with. It was most important that Raffy was completely healthy and uninhibited when he picked up a bat rather than picking up a bat a little bit too early and then running into some of the same problems.”
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Breslow continued: “If that meant that he got a little bit of a late start to spring training as he kind of felt through some things in terms of timing and swing mechanics, then I think we have to accept that.
“I think we’re going to look up here very, very shortly, and Raffy is going to be doing the things that Raffy and maybe only Raffy can do. But, there’s no doubt that the health of his shoulders impacted his offseason, but as we sit here today, he is completely healthy.”
You can catch more of Breslow’s insights on the “310 To Left” podcast on YouTube and Spotify.
