Rafael Devers says he ‘never felt like myself’ during 2024 season

Devers batted just .205 over the final 42 games of the season.

Rafael Devers' season came to a close over the weekend due to his shoulder pain. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)

September 22, 2024

2 minutes to read

Rafael Devers’ season came to a premature end this weekend, with the star third baseman placed on the injured list due to shoulder inflammation.

Even though Devers will avoid offseason surgery to correct his lingering pain, Alex Cora acknowledged on Sunday that the All-Star has dealt with shoulder issues throughout the 2024 season — starting in spring training.

“The left one is the one that really bothers him, as far as, like, the swing. It’s been going on since spring training,” Cora told Julian McWilliams of The Boston Globe. “So, inflammation. Just stay away from him. Rest will do the work. There’s no structural damage, there’s no talk of surgery or anything. It’s just rest. Obviously, there’s stuff that he needs to do in the offseason to get back to normal, but at least this is good news.”

Devers had a slow start this spring due to both his shoulder and a bone bruise in his knee, missing 11 of Boston’s first 19 games. The 27-year-old third baseman did rebound as the season carried on — earning his third All-Star nod — but began to wear down over the past month.

Before landing on the IL, Devers batted just .205 over his final 42 games — including just five home runs after the All-Star break. With the lingering pain starting to sap away at Devers’ bat speed, the slugger struggled to dole out damage as Boston tried to scrap its way toward a postseason berth.

Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Devers acknowledged that his shoulder woes made it difficult for him to come anywhere close to his sterling first-half production.

“A lot. Because it never stopped hurting me,” Devers told MassLive’s Christopher Smith through translator Carlos Villoria Benítez. “I never felt like myself this year.”

Even with Devers’ impressive production from May through mid-July (.294 batting average, 20 home runs, 54 RBI over 65 games), he was not thrilled with his overall body of work.

“I did my best to help the team win,” Devers told Smith. “The numbers weren’t too bad or too great. They were just OK.”

Devers closes out the 2024 season slashing .272/.354/.516 with 28 home runs, 34 doubles, five triples, 83 RBI and 67 walks over 138 games.

With Devers avoiding offseason surgery, he should be ready to go in February without any restrictions as Boston tries to orchestrate a playoff run for the first time since 2021.

“I always try to go out there and give my 100%,” Devers said. “Obviously sometimes the body doesn’t let you give your 100%.

“But for me, I try to go out there every day to compete. And obviously when your body doesn’t let you be 100%, your mind is. So that’s what my mentality is. I try to compete out there even if my body is not 100%. My mentality is to try to help the team win.”