The Boston Red Sox have had a problem at third base this season. With a promotion to Pawtucket imminent, Rafael Devers is getting closer to becoming the solution.
Be it through injuries or ineffectiveness in the batter’s box, third base has been a disaster for the Boston Red Sox this season. It is not a surprise that this is an area they plan on targeting at the trade deadline, a key hole in their lineup. And yet, a solution could be coming in the somewhat near future.
According to Alex Speier of the Boston Globe, the Red Sox top prospect, Rafael Devers, is quickly approaching a promotion to the AAA Pawtucket Red Sox. Considering his excellent performance at Portland, where he has a .300/.369/.575 batting line with 18 homers in 77 games, that move up the ranks appears to be well deserved.
While it is always noteworthy when a top prospect gets closer to their major league debut. As Devers was a consensus top 20 prospect, ranking as high as 13th heading into the 2017 campaign, his impending promotion is certainly intriguing. However, it is notable for another reason.
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The Red Sox have repetitively stated that Devers will appear in AAA before getting a promotion to the majors. As that step up the ladder may happen in the next few days, the countdown until Devers reaches the majors is set to begin.
Although he is just 20 years old, it is highly likely that Devers will be better than what the Red Sox have at the hot corner now. The revolving door at third has produced a .625 OPS, better than only the Giants in baseball this year. Pablo Sandoval still looks like he is about to be featured at Sea World. Brock Holt is an unknown, given his vertigo symptoms. The other players given a chance at third may be utility players at best.
Should Devers get off to a hot start at AAA, the temptation to bring him to Boston may prove to be too much. Although one cannot tell much from a month or so, his advanced approach at AA leads to the belief that he will be ready for Pawtucket. Should that performance continue at AAA, there would not be much of a reason to keep Devers down on the farm.
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The Boston Red Sox have a need at third base, but the answer may be closer than they think. Rafael Devers is approaching a promotion to AAA, leaving him just one step away from Boston.