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Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Why is Red Sox' Rafael Devers taking grounders before games? Alex Cora gives definitive answer
BOSTON — For weeks, the Red Sox have remained somewhat cagey when it comes to the question of Rafael Devers' positional future. On Saturday, though, manager Alex Cora offered the most definitive answer yet. Devers, who was asked to move to first base in the wake of Triston Casas' knee injury in early May but was not a consideration to return to third base when Alex Bregman went down weeks later, has remained as Boston's designated hitter and has not worked out at either corner infield spot. Still, for weeks, the Red Sox left the possibility open that Devers could move back to the field, repeating the refrain that 'conversations were ongoing.' Advertisement Before Saturday's game, asked if those conversations continued, Cora acknowledged the writing that has been on the wall for weeks. 'We talk, but he's my DH,' Cora said. 'Let's leave it at that." Asked if he expected Devers to only be the DH for the rest of the season, Cora said: 'Yes.' It's unclear exactly what has transpired since the highly publicized May 9 meeting in Kansas City between Devers, Cora and principal owner John Henry, who flew halfway across the country to sit down with Devers one day after he went public with his refusal to move to first base. Devers, who contended that the Red Sox operated in bad faith by asking him to give up his glove to move to DH in spring training, then learn a new position in the middle of a season months later, has declined to comment on the meeting (or the results of it) numerous times over the last month. Advertisement There is no evidence, though, to suggest anything changed when Henry and Devers sat down. And Devers, a lock to make his fourth All-Star Game in the past five seasons, has continued to mash as a DH, hitting .275 with 14 homers, 18 doubles, 57 RBIs and a .907 OPS. Devers has reintroduced one wrinkle into his pregame routine recently, which led the questions about his defensive future being asked Saturday. In the last couple weeks, he has consistently joined teammates for infield drills before batting practice and has been spotted taking grounders and turning double plays at shortstop along with Trevor Story and David Hamilton. That doesn't mean Devers is a candidate to play there, of course, but is a sign he has largely recovered from the reported groin strain that had been bothering him. 'Part of his conditioning program, just moving around,' said Cora. 'He didn't do it there for a while. There were a few things going on. Now that he's feeling good, just go out there and take grounders. Advertisement 'The fact he's throwing, that's important, too. Obviously, if something happens, we've got to get this (making a throwing motion) going. I'm happy he's out there moving and feeling good. He's feeling good.' More Red Sox coverage Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
After Rafael Devers trade, here are five big roster questions facing Red Sox, Craig Breslow
BOSTON — Rafael Devers is no longer a member of the Red Sox. That sentence, nearly a full day after news broke that Boston had dealt the slugger to San Francisco for a four-player package that includes pitchers Jordan Hicks and Kyle Harrison, remains as jarring as it was the second the news broke. The main story remains the messy divorce between the club and an All-Star who was made the highest-paid player in franchise history just two years ago. But both sides have to move on, so it's worth looking forward a bit. Advertisement The Devers-less Red Sox, before seeing their old friend over the weekend at Oracle Park, have three games in Seattle, starting Monday night. Here are five questions that will be answered — and some soon — in the wake of the Devers deal: 1) Who will take DH at-bats? The Red Sox have long been a club that has a full-time designated hitter, with stars David Ortiz and J.D. Martinez assuming the role for years before stop-gaps like Justin Turner, Masataka Yoshida and Devers in more recent years. In the interim, though, it's possible manager Alex Cora will get to mix and match at DH. Before the Devers deal, one of the stories of the weekend was how Cora could mix in all of his position players when he only had nine lineup spots to work with. Rookies Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer each sat twice against the Yankees, who started three lefties in a row. Now, there's more at-bats to go around. Advertisement In Seattle, before right fielder Wilyer Abreu is activated this weekend, the Red Sox might use a bench bat like Rob Refsnyder or Romy Gonzalez at DH with Abraham Toro, Mayer and Anthony all expected to start. Things will get more crowded over the weekend in San Francisco when Abreu returns but there's now an answer to the outfield logjam. Cora can start Jarren Duran, Ceddanne Rafaela, Abreu and Anthony all at the same time. How much the Red Sox will want to sacrifice outfield defense to potentially stall Anthony's defensive development is the big question there. The eventual healthy return of Alex Bregman will further shake things up, and at that point, the Sox will try to ride the hot hand in deciding who stays and who goes. Bregman will return to third base, so Mayer could get DH at-bats or shift to second base if it's decided that Kristian Campbell needs some time at Triple-A. Those decisions, though, remain a few weeks away. In a few weeks, Yoshida — who is finally feeling better after a slow buildup following labral repair surgery — will join the mix as well. The Red Sox, with Devers in tow, have said all year that they want Yoshida to be able to play the field when he returns. That might no longer be the case. Boston is never going to replace Devers' production at DH with anyone on the current roster. But they have to find ways to fill the hole regardless. Advertisement 2) How will Alex Cora make up his lineup? In all 73 games this year, Devers has hit second for the Red Sox. Cora will need to shake up his batting order immediately. Duran is the obvious leadoff man against righties, but there are some options for the No. 2 spot. Could Cora entrust a rookie like Anthony or Mayer to do so? He might need to, at least in the interim. Abreu could be a factor, too, after hitting second 44 times in 2023. A lineup that was already featuring Toro and catcher Carlos Narváez in the No. 3 and No. 4 spots was thin to begin with. Now, it's at DEFCON levels. The guess here is that Cora builds a lineup around Duran, Abreu and Bregman as his top three when Bregman returns, then mixes and matches in the cleanup spot depending on who's hitting well. Right now, though, the Red Sox are without four of their top five projected hitters with Devers gone, Triston Casas out for the season and both Bregman and Abreu hurt. Advertisement 3) How will the new pitchers factor in? Both Hicks (48.2 innings) and Harrison (23.2 innings) have pitched for the Giants this year. Hicks was moved from the rotation to the bullpen in late May after struggling and Harrison is a starter who has pitched in both the big leagues and Triple-A. Neither will be available to the Sox immediately, though. Hicks has been out since June 3 with right toe inflammation, which he could soon return from. Harrison is healthy but after being scratched from a Sunday Night Baseball start against the Dodgers, was optioned to Triple-A Worcester. The plans for htem are unclear at this point. Boston's rotation just completed a great turn with Lucas Giolito, Walker Buehler, Hunter Dobbins and Brayan Bello all making good starts behind ace Garrett Crochet. Tanner Houck, who begins a rehab assignment at Worcester on Wednesday, is also close to coming back. Ultimately, the Red Sox will go with their best arms in the starting five. For now, though, Hicks might become a high-velocity arm at the back end of an injured bullpen after pitching in relief four times for San Francisco. He was a reliever (and a good one, too) with St. Louis and Toronto from 2018 to 2023 before San Francisco signed him and made him a starter last year. Advertisement Just like with Quinn Priester last year after he was obtained in a deadline trade, it seems the Sox want Harrison's organizational onboarding to take place at Triple-A. He will serve as rotation depth this year, sure, but adding him was more about the future. 4) How will the Sox spend the money? There's another shoe to drop — and it's not dramatic to posit that it will truly reveal whether the Red Sox are actually still committed to trying to win or not. According to MassLive's calculations, Boston just saved more than $270 million by shipping Devers to San Francisco, including more than $16 million off the competitive balance tax for the rest of this season (and $29 million in each of the next eight seasons). After trading the highest-paid player in franchise history, the Red Sox don't have a ton in the way of big commitments down the road. Bregman, Walker Buehler, Lucas Giolito and Aroldis Chapman, who are all making good money this year, are either free agents or have options/opt-outs. The Red Sox are really only committed to big numbers for Garrett Crochet ($28 million CBT hit), Trevor Story ($23.33 million) and Yoshida ($18 million) for 2025. They have plenty of money to spend, especially after the early extensions for Kristian Campbell, Ceddanne Rafaela and Brayan Bello lowered future CBT numbers on those players. Advertisement So how will they spend it? Breslow and Co. might not have much time to figure that out. The Devers deal opens the door for a major trade deadline addition of a controllable, high-dollar player and a high-ranking source indicated Sunday that the Red Sox, at 37-36 after a big weekend sweep of the Yankees, still wholeheartedly intend to buy at the trade deadline and shop aggressively. That, obviously, could change with a bad few weeks in the wake of the Devers move. For now, though, the club's eyes are on additions. 5) What's the long-term outlook at first base? For now, it's Toro and Gonzalez at first base on an everyday basis. Devers wasn't moving there in the middle of the season but things change as time goes on and there was always the possibility that he'd return to the field as a first baseman at some point in the distant future. Now, that possibility is gone. Casas' injury is so severe — and the recovery is so long — that the Red Sox shouldn't count on him being a lock to play every day in 2026. There's a real question of who projects as Boston's long-term first baseman and there's no perfect fit on the roster (or in the system). It's too early to know exactly who will be available at the deadline. But in Boston's search for a big bat, the club should look for a big-name, everyday option at first, and one with control, too. More Red Sox coverage Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Why Red Sox' Walker Buehler called performance ‘tough and embarrassing'
SEATTLE — Red Sox starter Walker Buehler's ERA jumped to 5.95 ERA (59 innings, 38 earned runs) in 12 starts after he allowed eight runs on eight hits and four walks while striking out two in 3 ⅓ innings Tuesday. Boston lost 8-0 to the Mariners here at T-Mobile Park. A frustrated Buehler was upset that as a veteran he couldn't keep the momentum going for the Red Sox who had won six straight games and nine of their previous 11 games. Advertisement 'At the end of the day it sucks to fail on that kind of level with where our team's at and how we've been feeling about ourselves and starting to play really good baseball,' Buehler said. 'To be an older guy that was brought in here to try and help lead and to perform the way I have been is tough and embarrassing.' Manager Alex Cora pointed out that Buehler struggled putting hitters away after getting ahead in counts. 'He wasn't able to finish hitters,' Cora said. 'I think eight at-bats we had him with two strikes and they got on base — walk, singles, double. ... We had two outs at one point, one pitch away from getting out from that inning and it just didn't happen." Five of the eight hits Buehler allowed came after he got ahead in the count either 0-2 or 1-2. He also allowed a single on a 2-2 count. Advertisement The grand slam to Cal Raleigh that made it 5-0 in the second inning came on a first-pitch changeup. Only one hit he gave up came when he was behind in a count. 'Obviously the big swing was on a 0-0 but other than that, it was a lot of two strikes and kind of pitches that are almost what I wanted but not quite,' Buehler said. 'And they did a good job of putting bats on it and putting it in play, hitting the ball hard and doing what they're supposed to do.' Cora added, 'We've got to figure (it) out because when you're that ahead in counts, 1-2, 0-2, we have to be able to finish them. We'll take a look and see what happened today. And we'll figure it out.' Advertisement Buehler threw just 58.1% strikes (93 pitches, 54 strikes). 'Obviously throughout my career I've thrown strikes,' Buehler said. 'So to walk the amount of guys that I did and give up eight hits or whatever, it's just not what we're looking for.' BETTING: The total for Wednesday's Red Sox versus Mariners game is set at 6.5 over on DraftKings. If you're a new bettor, be sure to check out our Massachusetts sports betting guide. More Red Sox coverage Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sexual assault and drink driving – cosy crime but not as we know it
A puzzle-setter turns sleuth in a quirky British crime series. Stop me if you think you've heard this one before. Murder Most Puzzling is trying to be Ludwig, which was a hit for the BBC last year. But it's a pale imitation. While that one was a five-star treat starring David Mitchell, this one is a two-star rip-off starring Phyllis Logan. The missteps start as soon as we are introduced to her character, Cora Felton. Cora is The Puzzle Lady, a crossword compiler whose job has made her so famous that she has her own range of biscuits and TV adverts. Let's not pause to ponder how unlikely that is. She is called in to investigate the case of a young woman found murdered in a churchyard, with a mysterious crossword clue in her pocket. Unfortunately, Cora can't make head nor tail of the clue when she first sees it because she's still sozzled from the night before. When we first meet her, she is passed out at the wheel of her car after a spot of drink-driving. Drink-driving? Really? We're supposed to find this quirkily amusing, but it strikes the wrong tone right away. It's a sign that the show doesn't quite know what it's supposed to be. This is cosy crime, yet having someone at a town hall meeting ask if the murder victim was sexually assaulted belongs in a grittier police drama. At least the mystery is wrapped up in a feature-length episode rather than being dragged out. The show is based on a book series by Parnell Hall and the failings of the TV series are odd because its writer, Dominique Moloney is a veteran of Father Brown and The Sister Boniface Mysteries. Some bits do conform to the cosy crime template: jaunty music, a picturesque setting in the fictional market town of Bakerbury (it's Lisburn in Northern Ireland), and the odd silly character, such as the blustering mayor in a cravat who runs the local police force. The programme's saving graces are the three lead performances. Logan, best known as Mrs Hughes in Downton Abbey, is a safe pair of hands and does her best with the material. Charlotte Hope is a bright spot as Cara's niece and right-hand-woman, Sherry. And Adam Best is, well, the best thing here as DCI Derek Hooper, who has never worked a murder case before and reluctantly turns to Cora for help. There is a twist halfway through relating to Cora's job, and if you didn't see it coming then I'm afraid your sleuthing skills are a little below par. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Metro
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Nobody's Child has restocked the dress of the summer
Metro journalists select and curate the products that feature on our site. If you make a purchase via links on this page we will earn commission – learn more Best known for their pretty midi dresses and wardrobe staple co-ords, no brand exudes carefree and nostalgic elegance quite like Nobody's Child. So, it's no surprise to us that they've well and truly hit the nail on the head with absolutely every single SS25 collection so far. Think: flowy and feminine silhouettes, sun-soaked shades, and plenty of vintage-inspired polka dots and stripes that feel really playful and charming. And they've also come in clutch with a fair few brilliant butter yellow pieces, too — most notably, the Butter Yellow Linen-blend Cora Midi Dress — which sold out pretty quickly after it was released in March. This beautiful summer dress is finally back in stock in this sell-out soft yellow shade. It's super sweet and swishy, and looks gorgeous styled with a simple blue denim jacket, and either barely-there heels or a fresh pair of white trainers. BUY NOW FOR £75 There's so much to love about this dress. For starters, as we'd expect from a sustainable brand like Nobody's Child, this Cora midi is made from a responsible and eco-friendly blend of linen and lyocell — which are both highly breathable and durable fibres. More Trending A truly romantic silhouette, its fitted bodice beautifully defines the waist — while the square neckline gives a lovely contemporary touch. Meanwhile, the lightly lined A-line skirt is swishy and body-skimming — giving the whole dress a really breezy and effortless feel. When it comes to colours, this sell-out soft yellow shade is hard to beat — but the dress also comes in black, olive green, cream stripe, and ditsy floral. Alternatively, for a more coastal-inspired look, there's also a brand new blue and white pinstripe option, too. Our top pick? It just has to be the butter yellow. But you'll want to move fast if you're going to snap it up before it sells out again. Follow Metro across our social channels, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram Share your views in the comments below MORE: The perfect summer dress by a brand loved by Kate Middleton is now available in 8 colours MORE: Nobody's Child now has a whole page dedicated to dresses with pockets MORE: Aligne's new denim collection is here – and it's all about fit, style and everyday cool
