Devers pushes to regain starting job at third

CLEVELAND — Rafael Devers could be doing more than making one final push for a 25-man postseason roster spot.

The Red Sox third baseman is threatening to reclaim his starting job after homering for the third time in his last seven games Saturday night.

Devers has put in his rearview mirror three separate stints on the disabled list — two for left hamstring strains, one for inflammation in his left shoulder. He went into Sunday [...]

CLEVELAND — Rafael Devers could be doing more than making one final push for a 25-man postseason roster spot.

The Red Sox third baseman is threatening to reclaim his starting job after homering for the third time in his last seven games Saturday night.

Devers has put in his rearview mirror three separate stints on the disabled list — two for left hamstring strains, one for inflammation in his left shoulder. He went into Sunday with hits in five straight games and six of his last seven. Devers totaled three homers and seven runs scored in that stretch, gradually ascending from the bottom third of the batting order to the top third.

“With the injury, I wasn’t able to play consistently,” Devers said through Red Sox translator Daveson Perez. “These last few days, I’ve been able to take advantage and it’s helped a bit.”

Devers stepped into an opportunity provided by the absence of Eduardo Nunez, who hasn’t played since Wednesday at Yankee Stadium. Nunez is battling left hamstring and right knee soreness, and he could potentially return as soon as Monday against the Orioles at Fenway Park. He was riding a six-game hitting streak and slashing .306/.320/.500 in his last 20 games before exiting in the ninth inning of a 10-1 defeat against New York.

“He’s feeling better,” Cora said. “He’s moving around and doing a few tests. The goal is for him to play in the next series.”

The notion of platooning both players in the upcoming American League Division Series, depending on the opposing starting pitcher, was one Cora discussed prior to Sunday’s game at Cleveland. Nunez actually has slight reverse splits lifetime — his average is 22 points higher against right-handed pitching (.286 to .264), and his OPS is 33 points higher (.735 to .702). Devers has the same OPS against left-handers and right-handers at .755 but actually hits 30 points higher (.278 to .248) against southpaws.

“With Oakland, it’s kind of like a bullpen game with them the whole time,” Cora said. “Obviously with the Yankees, you’ve got [J.A.] Happ and you’ve got C.C. [Sabathia]. We’ll see.

“I’m happy that Raffy is swinging the bat well. And it’s not the results — it’s the approach. We’ve just got to see when Eduardo comes back. If he’s healthy and he’s able to run and move around, that’s going to be important for us.”

Neither player provides a significant defensive advantage at the position. Nunez is rated at 0.3 defensive runs above average per FanGraphs while Devers checks in at minus-2.6 defensive runs above average. Nunez lacks the range possessed by Devers, and Devers lacks the seemingly sure hands shown by Nunez.

“That’s what we see,” Cora said. “Eduardo, the only play I can remember that he missed was at Yankee Stadium [a two-run error on Wednesday]. With Raffy, obviously, he goes hard to his left. There are still the errors there. As far as range, Raffy has more range.”

Postseason performance could tip the scales toward Devers, as Cora saw firsthand the sort of damage he can do last season. Devers went 4-for-11 with two homers and a pair of walks in four games against the Astros in the American League Division Series, and Cora looked on from the opposing dugout as Houston’s bench coach. That Devers did this as the youngest player to appear in any A.L. game in 2017 hinted at his considerable promise.

“Eduardo is hurt, but he’s been getting a lot of at-bats against lefties, against righties — we’re comfortable with him,” Cora said. “The more disciplined he is, the better he hits. I do feel he’s been able to slow down the game. He’s not anxious in the batter’s box. You can see that he’s in control, and that’s great to see.”

“I guess I was naïve in thinking that before you just come to the park and you play ball,” Devers said. “You realize pretty quickly that teams and pitchers are going to treat you differently everywhere you go. It’s all a learning process.”