Red Sox $331 Million Superstar Avoids Surgery After Season-Ending IL Placement

Hopefully, it's a normal offseason for the face of the Boston franchise

Sep 12, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; Boston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers (11) throws out New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe (not pictured) after fielding a ground ball during the ninth inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images / Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

As the Boston Red Sox season comes to a slow and painful end, the more pressing matter is the health of their superstar third baseman.

Rafael Devers, the face of the Red Sox franchise, had been playing through obvious pain in both shoulders for months. He hurt his left shoulder on a swing in Spring Training, and his right shoulder diving for a line drive in late July.

After slumping for over a month and being removed from Friday's game following a couple feeble throws from third base, manager Alex Cora indicated that Devers was likely going to miss the rest of the season. He underwent MRIs on both shoulders on Saturday.

Devers was placed on the 10-day injured list on Saturday, officially bringing his season to a close. That shifted the focus to the severity of the injuries, and whether or not Deves might need an extended rehab that could affect his 2025 season.

Fortunately, it appears Devers has dodged an initial bullet. Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic reported that Devers would not require surgery on either shoulder.

"Cora said Devers does not need surgery. MRI showed inflammation so rest should help him," McCaffrey said.

After playing through pain all season, it was clear the injuries had gotten the best of Devers by late August. He hit his last home run of the season, which happened to be his 200th career longball, on Aug. 25. He went 90 plate appearances without a homer to close out the season.

Devers finished the year with 28 home runs, 81 RBI, and an .871 OPS. His OPS peaked at .992 on Aug. 2.

2024 had the potential to be a career year for Devers, and the injuries unfortunately played an outsized role in that failing to happen. But he showed all of Red Sox Nationa what kind of player he is by gritting through the pain as long as he possibly could.

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