Alex Cora Reveals Why Rafael Devers Didn’t Play In Red Sox-Astros Finale

There was virtually nothing for Red Sox fans to get excited about Sunday afternoon at Fenway Park.

Boston supporters were stripped of potential joy from the get-go, even before James Paxton went down with a calf injury five pitches into his start. The Red Sox's best player, Rafael Devers, was not in Alex Cora's starting lineup and stayed on the bench for the entirety of the club's ugly loss to the Houston Astros.

Speaking with the media before Sunday's first pitch, Cora briefly explained why Devers was not in the starting nine for the first time since early June.

"He's been grinding through it and I think it makes sense today and hopefully tomorrow he’ll be back," Cora told reporters, per MassLive.

The Red Sox manager on many occasions has noted how Devers is putting together a career season despite a nagging injury. A day off certainly was deserving for a player who was on the field for virtually every inning for Boston for two months straight.

As Cora mentioned, the Red Sox are hopeful the three-time All-Star will be back in the lineup Monday when they open a three-game set with the Texas Rangers at Fenway Park. Boston definitely could use Devers' services when it tries to halt its losing streak at four games.