Amid mounting speculation about his future in Boston, Rafael Devers won’t travel with the Red Sox for their exhibition series in Mexico.
On Monday, manager Alex Cora told reporters Devers won’t be in Mexico for the Red Sox’s exhibition games against the Monterrey Sultans on March 24 and 25. Cora also said shortstop Trevor Story won’t make the trip as he continues to nurse a back injury.
Due to shoulder issues, Devers didn’t make his spring training debut until last Saturday. Per MLB.com’s Ian Browne, Cora said Devers will stay in Fort Myers, Florida, to work on his swing before joining his teammates in Texas for the start of the regular season.
The decision to keep Devers in Fort Myers probably doesn’t mean anything. He missed a lot of time in spring training and needs to get his timing back.
However, it’s hard not to think of recent reports about Devers considering a trade request amid his frustration with the Red Sox. Per MassLive’s Sean McAdam, Devers remains frustrated over Boston’s signing of Alex Bregman and lack of transparency during the offseason.
“Behind closed doors, (Devers) lets the Red Sox know, in no uncertain terms, that he’s still feeling aggrieved and disrespected,” McAdam wrote over the weekend. “Meanwhile, to the public, he is the dutiful employee, doing what he’s told to do.”
As of Monday morning, there wasn’t any reason to believe Devers wouldn’t be ready for the March 27 season opener against the Rangers.
