Boston Red Sox Superstar Rafael Devers Ruled Out Monday With Right Calf Tightness
Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers will not start in the series opener against the Oakland Athletics, the team revealed in their lineup announcement Monday night.
Manager Alex Cora later told reporters that Devers felt a little tightness in his right calf area on Sunday, and that the team would try to be proactive with the infielder moving forward. Devers has been labeled as day-to-day.
Devers is hitting .261 with 23 home runs, 73 RBI and a .853 OPS so far in 2023. Prior to Monday, the slugger had appeared in 90 of 94 games for Boston.
Justin Turner is starting at third in place of Devers on Monday, pushing Masataka Yoshida into the designated hitter spot. Jarren Duran, Adam Duvall and Alex Verdugo will start in the outfield.
This past weekend, Devers went 6-for-13 with three home runs and two doubles in three games against the Chicago Cubs. Devers was removed from Sunday's series finale in the eighth inning, although Boston was notably up 11-0 at the time.
Devers did not make the All-Star Game this season, after earning a spot in both 2021 and 2022. After placing top-15 in AL MVP voting in three of the last four years, Devers inked an 11-year, $331 million contract with Boston in January.
The Red Sox are currently 50-44, which puts them in a tie with the New York Yankees for fourth place in the AL East. With over two months left in the season, the Red Sox are 2.0 games back of the Houston Astros for the third and final AL Wild Card spot.
First pitch between the Red Sox and Athletics is scheduled for Monday at 9:40 p.m. ET.
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