Rafael Devers has been working on more than his hitting and third-base defense.
Devers, a native of the Dominican Republican, is progressing quite well with his English. The 24-year-old showed off his improved grasp of the language Tuesday as he delivered a birthday message to Chris Sale, who turns 32 two days before the Red Sox's regular-season opener.
"Raffy Devers’ English is getting muy bueno. I’m telling you," Boston manager Alex Cora said Tuesday, per MassLive. "This morning, he goes, 'Happy Birthday, Chris Sale.' And Sale had this smile like it was great. It was great. And then Raffy goes, 'I’ve been working on my second language.' And Chris just died. It was amazing. So I think that was his best birthday gift today."
Sale, for reasons more than one, was away from the Red Sox for the entirety of the abbreviated 2020 season. That won't be the case as the veteran southpaw continues his post-Tommy John surgery rehab, however, as Sale will travel with the Red Sox to Boston on Tuesday and remain in the area as he works toward regaining full health.
As for Devers, you can expect him to be slotted in the middle of the Red Sox's batting order Thursday when they open their 2021 campaign at Fenway Park against the Baltimore Orioles.
