Rafael Devers Headed for Core Surgery as Red Sox Limp Toward the Finish Line

The Boston Red Sox are officially pulling the plug on their franchise cornerstone. Rafael Devers is headed for core surgery, effectively ending his season and putting a bow on whatever is left of Boston's September.

When your star third baseman needs his core repaired, you do not mess around with a few extra weeks of baseball. MLB Trade Rumors relayed the news Tuesday morning, confirming that Devers will finally get off his feet.

"MLB Trade Rumors reported the surgery announcement."

The timing makes perfect sense for a team just trying to get to the finish line intact. Boston managed to scrape together back-to-back wins against the Kansas City Royals over the weekend, but that only came after dropping three straight ugly ones to the Royals and the Los Angeles Angels.

Playing through a core injury sounds like trying to swing a lead pipe while doing a crunch. It is objectively miserable, and letting him continue to grind it out just to play out the string would be front-office malpractice.

If you are holding any Red Sox futures or looking at the daily run lines, adjust your math immediately. Taking Devers out of the lineup leaves a massive crater in the middle of the order that no depth piece is going to fill.

Boston packs up and heads to Arlington on Wednesday for a three-game set against the Texas Rangers. They will have to figure out how to manufacture runs without their best hitter, while Devers gets a much-needed head start on his rehab for next spring.