Red Sox’s Rafael Devers: ‘I’m not very happy with my season overall. I think I can give much more’

Red Sox's Rafael Devers leads the Red Sox in slugging percentage, OPS and homers. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
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BOSTON — Rafael Devers leads all Red Sox hitters in homers (27), slugging percentage (.524) and OPS (.883). He has 42 doubles, one behind J.D. Martinez for the team lead.

He went 3-for-3 with a go-ahead RBI sac fly here in Boston’s 4-3 victory over the Rays on Monday, increasing his batting average to .296.

But he’s not satisfied.

“I’m not very happy with my season overall,” Devers said through translator Carlos Villoria Benítez after Monday’s victory. “I think I can give much more than that. I think I can improve those numbers. I don’t really like to get injured and that’s something that happened this year. I’m not that guy. So the second half is not the second half I expected to have. So I think I can improve a lot — those numbers that I have this year. And that’s something I’m going to work on for next year.”

Devers spent 10 days early in the second half on the IL with right hamstring inflammation. His hamstring bothered him during the second half as manager Alex Cora has mentioned, but the third baseman played through it.

The 25-year-old, who is eligible for free agency after 2023, slashed .324/.379/.601/.980 in 86 games during the first half. But he has a .250/.325/.392/.717 line in 53 games during the second half.

“I’m not going to (make) excuses or anything like that,” Devers said. “I just know that I can be way better than I was this year. And that is something I need to work on this offseason.”

Cora indicated that Devers has some goals, including finishing the year with a .300 batting average.

But Devers said, I didn’t have any personal goals at all. For me, my only goal was to make the playoffs. .... So I’m going to work really hard in the offseason so I can help this team to make the playoffs next year.”

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