Red Sox’s Alex Cora, Rafael Devers To ‘Debate’ Over Return

BOSTON -- The Red Sox are at their best when Rafael Devers is in the lineup.

Is that some huge revelation? No, but it's an important reminder for those who might want the 27-year-old to rush back from his shoulder ailment. It's actually a good reminder for Devers himself, too.

If the Red Sox hope to find their stride, they'll need Devers in the lineup every day.

He's probably not going to get there by fighting through pain in mid-April. Red Sox manager Alex Cora, despite undoubtedly wishing his star was in the lineup every day, is comfortable with keeping him out for the short-term for the betterment of Boston's overall outlook.

"I'm shooting for (a) Monday (return). He's shooting for tomorrow," Cora told reporters at Fenway Park on Saturday. So we'll have a debate about that. I just want to make sure he's OK. He's too important for us. If he goes out there, he plays, he feels it, what's the point? At that point, we've got to put him on the (injured list), so I'd rather just wait and be patient with him."

Devers hasn't been in the lineup since Wednesday, and it's shown. The Red Sox have scored a grand total of four runs across his two-game absence, dropping both games as he was unavailable to come off the bench in any capacity.

Could it have helped if he was a pinch-hit option in the ninth inning of Thursday's extra-innings loss to the Baltimore Orioles? It could have, but Cora is uninterested in risking his biggest stars health for a win in the first homestand of the season.

It's a marathon, not a sprint, which is what the Red Sox are trying to keep at the forefront of Devers' mind.

"We have to make sure this kid is healthy for us. We have to, because for us to be a good offensive club, we need this kid."