Devers, Abreu debuts make Red Sox lineup whole again
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FORT MYERS, Fla. -- For perhaps the first time this spring, there was an Opening Day feel in the air for the Red Sox on Saturday.
And not just because manager Alex Cora officially named Garrett Crochet as his Opening Day starter a few hours before his team's 7-3 loss to the Braves.
The starting lineup included two key players who were making their 2025 debuts in star slugger Rafael Devers and right fielder Wilyer Abreu.
Their entries to the lineup were delayed for different reasons.
Devers spent most of his winter rehabbing his shoulders, so he devoted the early weeks of Spring Training to finetuning his swing.
Abreu had a viral gastrointestinal illness that kept him grounded from game action until all his lab tests came back clean.
With those two left-handed bats playing along with other cornerstones Jarren Duran, Alex Bregman, Trevor Story and Triston Casas, Boston¡¯s lineup felt whole again.
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Though Devers hadn¡¯t played in a game until going 0-for-3 against Braves ace Chris Sale on Saturday, he had been taking live at-bats on the backfields for weeks, including against the nasty offerings of Crochet and Walker Buehler.
For a while, there has been little doubt he will be there when the bell rings on March 27 in Arlington against the Rangers.
It was a different story for Abreu, as he was at the mercy of lab results. He finally got the last negative test he needed on Friday, clearing him for Saturday action.
While Cora had expressed skepticism in recent days and weeks that his right fielder could be ready for the start of the season, his tune has changed the past couple of days.
Abreu proved to be invaluable to the Red Sox in his rookie season of 2024, particularly in right field, hauling in a Gold Glove Award.
¡°We'll decide [if he¡¯s ready], but we¡¯ve got a lot of ways for him to catch up offensively,¡± Cora said. ¡°Hopefully the timing is right. We know what he brings to the equation, not only defensively but offensively. It's a left-handed bat that can impact the ball. But he worked on a few things in the offseason now, and hopefully it can translate in the upcoming weeks, and then we'll decide what we do. [We sent him] there right away. ¡®Chris Sale [pitching], go get ¡®em kid. You wanted to play, there you go.¡±¡¯
Abreu went 0-for-2 but took a good swing in his second at-bat, hammering a hard grounder down the first-base line that Garrett Cooper fielded for an out.
¡°I¡¯ll need more reps on the backfields, but I think I¡¯ll be ready for Opening Day,¡± Abreu said.
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When the Red Sox make the short trip across town to face the Twins on Sunday, Devers and Abreu will take as many at-bats as they need on the backfields.
They will return to the lineup on Monday.
For Abreu, patience was the hardest part of his recovery.
¡°It was difficult, but the most important thing is my health,¡± Abreu said. ¡°And I knew if I could get back to 100 percent that would be the best thing for me so I can give all of me on the field.¡±