Rafael Devers Brushes Off Early-Season Red Sox Chatter

The first two games of the MLB season didn’t start out ideally for Rafael Devers, but the Red Sox star isn’t as panicked as some Red Sox fans seem to be.

Devers went 0-for-8 with seven strikeouts in Boston’s first two games against the Texas Rangers. The lack of power output came after Alex Cora affirmed the 28-year-old was the team’s full-time designated hitter and that Romy González and David Hamilton were the backup third base options behind Alex Bregman.

Some fans theorized that might have played into Devers’ head. That couldn’t be further from the truth, according to the Red Sox All-Star.

“That’s in the past. That was in spring training,” Devers told reporters Friday, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “I am the DH, and I feel like you guys need to change the subject because that is over and I’m the DH.”

Devers noted that it was only the first two games of the season, and while the lack of plate appearances wasn’t an excuse, Cora highlighted that the star slugger should be able to catch up to fastballs soon enough.

The ninth-year big leaguer might need time to adjust to his new role. He revealed that he might call former Red Sox stars DHs like J.D. Martinez and David Ortiz for advice on the transition. However, the talent Devers possesses indicates that his “slump” won’t last for too long.