Alex Cora clarifies comments regarding Rafael Devers’ health amid slump at the plate

UPDATE: Despite offering up some cryptic comments regarding the health of Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers during a Wednesday afternoon radio hit on WEEI, Alex Cora later clarified his comments later that evening at Progressive Field.

“I got asked today about Raffy,” Cora said, per MassLive.com’s Christopher Smith. “And Raffy is not banged up. I just feel like sometimes people question effort. And over 162 games, there’s certain times that you hit a bullet at 108 (mph exit velocity) right at the shortstop and there’s nothing else you can do. So it’s that balance of hustling or false hustling, like taking care of your legs too.

I just want to make sure everybody knows he’s not hurt. Obviously when things are looking bad and you have team meetings and all that stuff, people are going to question what’s going on. And effort always comes into play. And I respect the guys. I respect the question. But from my end, Raffy’s not banged up.”

The Red Sox have been mired in a 5-10 slump over the last three weeks.

And while there is not one overarching reason for Boston’s slide in the standings, Rafael Devers’ struggles at the plate have certainly played into the Sox’ woes recently.

After signing a 10-year, $313.5 million contract with Boston this past offseason, Devers is tied for fourth in MLB with 49 RBI. But the 26-year-old third baseman is also batting just .241 with a .774 OPS.

Could Devers’ recent issues at the plate be due to an injury? During his weekly appearance on WEEI’s “Gresh & Fauria”, Alex Cora offered up a cryptic response regarding the health of Boston’s franchise infielder. 

“Raffy’s going to play 162 games, and people don’t know what’s going on in the background,” Cora said when asked about Devers’ slow run to first on a double-play sequence against the Rays on Monday. “You don’t know if he’s a little banged up or if he’s actually 100 percent. So for people to judge it that way, I think it’s not the right thing to do because not everybody knows his story.

“Maybe he’s 100 percent, maybe he’s not. We keep it in the clubhouse with that, we let people judge whatever they want, and we move forward.”

When pressed about whether or not Devers is dealing with something beyond just a slump at the plate, Cora didn’t budge.

“Maybe, maybe not,” Cora said of a potential injury with Devers. “But like I said, people are going to take the team meetings the way they want to, and they’re going to say, ‘Oh they’re not hustling, they’re not playing good baseball.’ I don’t know. From my end, I’m good with the effort, the kid is playing every day, so we go from there.”

A nagging issue for Devers would at least explain the recent dip in his usually impressive production at the dish. But any potential injury would be another major hit for a Red Sox team that has been bitten by the injury bug time and time again in 2023.

While outfielder Adam Duvall could make his return to the lineup in New York this weekend after missing close to two months with a fractured wrist, the Sox are still waiting for Trevor Story to return from offseason elbow surgery.