Rafael Devers‘ season is done following Friday night’s loss to the Minnesota Twins, along with any hope that was left for the Boston Red Sox’s playoff push. Red Sox manager Alex Cora announced that Devers’ 2024 season would be done after last night’s 12-inning loss. “He’s not (okay)… he’s gonna get an MRI tomorrow… probably, this is it for him.” Cora said updating reporters on Devers’ growing shoulder pains. This shouldn’t come as a shock to fans, as Devers has dealt with a shoulder injury for the entire season. With Devers going on the 10-day injured list, the Red Sox wave the white flag, and the playoff race for Boston is officially over. Mickey Gasper was recalled from Triple-A Worcester to fill in the roster position.
Alex Cora on Rafael Devers likely being done for 2024. pic.twitter.com/Vb4M0lCydC
— Tyler Milliken ⚾️ (@tylermilliken_) September 21, 2024
Red Sox Wave White Flag on 2024 After Devers Injury
Depending on whether you’re a fan or not, the 2024 Red Sox season either went as expected or was a major disappointment. Going into the season, the Sox had a 28% chance of making the playoffs (per Fangraphs). According to MLB.com, they had a win projection of 81.5. From the outside looking in, the Red Sox were never supposed to make the playoffs to begin with. But, that doesn’t mean fans wouldn’t have hope. Coming off back-to-back 78-84 last-place finishes, fans believed this year would be different. Just eight games remain on the schedule for the 2024 season. The Red Sox are five games out of the last wild card position in the American League. To make things worse, they’ve been passed by three clubs for that last spot over the past week. Though there are two games to play versus the sixth-seed Twins, Boston’s odds dropped to 0.1% today.
Injury Impact
Before Devers, various other injuries derailed the Sox’s chances even if their record didn’t reflect it. The injuries for the Red Sox started before the season even began. Newly acquired starting pitcher Lucas Giolito experienced a partially torn UCL (ulnar collateral ligament) during spring training and missed the entire season. Then, the first week of the season saw Trevor Story dislocate his shoulder, causing him to miss 134 games. Not long after that, Triston Casas bruised his ribs and proceeded to miss 98 games. Garrett Whitlock suffered a damaged UCL at the end of May which ended his season. Trade deadline acquisition James Paxton tore his calf after two starts with the club ending his season, and potentially his career. Rafael Devers landing on the injured list was the last straw, and now the team can begin to prepare for 2025.
The Red Sox have placed 3B Rafael Devers on the 10-day IL with left shoulder inflammation. He will miss the remainder of the regular season. pic.twitter.com/CshBeYICv1
— MLB (@MLB) September 21, 2024
The Bright Side?
Let’s be honest with ourselves, it wasn’t likely the Red Sox would have made any noise in October if the Fall Classic was in the picture. With that being said, being okay with missing the postseason for the third straight year isn’t acceptable by any means. Ownership, the front office, and management need to get on the same page about the product on the field. So, on the bright side, they can officially begin to think about 2025 without distractions. There are a ton of important decisions ahead for the organization to make up their minds on. The Red Sox enter the 2024/25 offseason with approximately a considerable $60 million before entering the first luxury tax threshold.
Brighter days are ahead for the Red Sox franchise. This year’s rookie class has exceeded expectations from top to bottom. There were breakout seasons from multiple young players. Top prospects are just steps away from making their MLB debuts. And, as mentioned before, they have a ton of money to spend on top talent. While the 2024 season won’t be one to remember, it is a pivotal stepping stone for shaping the next championship-caliber Red Sox roster.
Photo Credit: © Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images
