It isn't a usual trip out to the West Coast to face the San Diego Padres this time around for Rafael Devers and the Boston Red Sox.
The three-game series that kicks off Friday from Petco Park offers a first for Devers as he has never had to face former longtime teammate Xander Bogaerts as an opponent in his major league career.
The two spent six seasons sharing the same side of the infield with the Red Sox before Bogaerts departed Boston this past offseason by signing an 11-year megadeal with the Padres worth $280 million. Over their time together, Devers and Bogaerts cultivated a special bond. And with them now on opposite sides, Devers conceded that unlike their previous encounters, there will be some strangeness to this one.
"It's going to feel a little bit weird because we spent so much time together playing here with the Red Sox," Devers told The Boston Globe's Alex Speier through translator Carlos Villoria-BenÃtez. "It's going to feel a little bit off."
Despite the distance between them now as their home bases are on opposite coasts, Devers and Bogaerts have maintained a close relationship. Devers told Speier he still talks with Bogaerts daily as they keep each other abreast of what's going on in each other's lives on and off the diamond.
Devers misses the in-person interactions, something he will be granted for a very brief time with the Red Sox in San Diego.
"Of course it feels weird to not be able to talk to him every day here and just do it over the phone," Devers said. "It's obviously something different and weird, but I'm glad the place that he is right now. The good thing is the relationship didn't stop when he left. That's the thing that I'm really happy about, that we kept that relationship and we still have that good relationship."
No doubt Devers and Bogaerts will find time to share a moment or two on the field throughout the weekend, but this time with them wearing different uniforms.
