Red Sox manager Alex Cora breaks silence on Rafael Devers' baserunning vs. Yankees

Rafael Devers may have gone deep late in Sunday night’s 11-7 win over the Yankees, but it was his sixth-inning jog to first base that had fans and manager Alex Cora talking. In the middle of Boston’s five-run outburst at Yankee Stadium, Devers tapped a slow roller to second base. It wasn’t hit hard — just 68 mph off the bat — and with Devers’ speed, there was a legitimate chance he could have legged it out. But instead, the Red Sox slugger slowed down significantly and was easily thrown out by DJ LeMahieu to end the inning.

The ESPN broadcast immediately cut to Cora, who was waiting near the top step of the dugout as Devers returned, visibly looking for an explanation. Their brief exchange sparked questions about whether the play was a case of poor effort or something more. After the game, Cora shut down speculation that Devers was dogging it.

“It wasn’t lack of hustle,” Cora told reporters. “We’ll leave it at that.”

Pressed further about a possible injury, Cora remained tight-lipped. “No,” he said. “It wasn’t lack of hustle.”

Could Rafael Devers have injured himself in the Red Sox win over the Yankees?

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Red Sox manager Alex Cora breaks silence on Rafael Devers' baserunning vs. Yankees — John Jones-Imagn Images

Devers has been nursing various minor injuries throughout his career and has often played through them. Recently, he’s been seen favoring his left leg, and Sunday’s hesitation had many wondering if he tweaked something mid-play. On the ESPN broadcast, Devers appeared to grimace slightly on his way to first, but remained in the game.

Cora later hinted at a possible physical issue — or at least acknowledged Devers might’ve needed a breather. “We talk about it. If he needs a blow, he needs a blow,” Cora said. “The next one I told him to go hit it out of the ballpark and jog.”

That’s exactly what Devers did. In the ninth, he blasted a 393-foot home run to right-center that left his bat at 111.2 mph — a no-doubt shot that padded Boston’s lead and silenced any chatter about effort, at least for the moment.Devers has been the Red Sox’s designated hitter all season after losing the third base job to Alex Bregman in spring training.

While the position change may not have been ideal for the 27-year-old, it hasn’t affected his bat. Devers is hitting .283 with 14 homers, 57 RBIs, and a .929 OPS in 67 games — good enough to lead the American League in both walks and RBIs heading into Sunday. The Red Sox took two of three from their longtime rivals and return home to face the Rays next. As for Devers, whether he’s dealing with something or just needed a moment, it’s clear his impact at the plate remains as strong as ever.