Every baseball season it seems one star struggles mightily out of the gate to start the season, and this year that star is Boston Red Sox designated hitter Rafael Devers.
The three-time All-Star has 27 at-bats to his name this season—and in those at-bats he has three hits against 16 strikeouts. By Baseball Reference’s measurements, he’s siphoned off nearly 1% of his career WAR.
As Red Sox fans cross their fingers Devers will come around, longtime MLB first baseman Albert Pujols offered perspective on the star’s struggles on MLB Now Friday afternoon.
“He’s gonna be okay,” Pujols said. “You can blame the start of the season for that move, but I don’t believe it’s just that.”
Pujols, along with panelists Bob Costas and Brian Kenny, speculated that Devers may be adjusting to uncertainty around his position. The addition of third baseman Alex Bregman and the arrival of second base superprospect Kristian Campbell have thrown Boston’s infield into mild disarray.
“I think he was hurt about it, Devers is still a young guy,” Pujols said. “I think he needs to understand that it’s not about the player, it’s about the organization.”
