Rafael Devers news
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The gist
Giants' Rafael Devers sat out Wednesday, ending his consecutive games streak at 309.
The day off comes during a power surge that has him at 35 home.
Background
Devers, acquired by the Giants in a 2025 trade from Boston, started slowly in 2026 — a .537 OPS in March/April — but has been one of baseball's best hitters since May. He entered Wednesday riding a stretch of 11 homers in 20 games and 35 home runs on the season, three shy of his 2021 career high. Manager Tony Vitello said he had wanted to rest Devers earlier but "missed the boat," and chose the series finale against St. Louis, ahead of a team off day Thursday, to do it.
How it unfolded
- Aug 2026Devers returns to Fenway Park for the first time since the trade that sent him to San Francisco in 2025.
- Sep 2, 2026Devers wins NL Player of the Week after scoring 17 runs in 16 games with a 1.411 OPS.
- Sep 8, 2026Devers is named NL Player of the Week for the fifth time in his career, after going 10-for-26 with six homers and 13 RBIs in seven games.
- Sep 9, 2026Devers is out of the lineup against the Cardinals, ending a streak of 177 consecutive starts and 309 consecutive games played.
Who’s saying what
- Official
- Manager Tony Vitello said the games-played total is "massive" but "I think it was time," calling the rest beneficial ahead of Thursday's team off day.
- Analysts
- NBC Sports noted it's unclear whether Devers wanted the day off, adding he "certainly doesn't seem to need it" given his recent .393/.493/.918 stretch with nine homers in 16 games.
Still unverified
NBC Sports reported it is unclear whether Devers wanted the day off; Devers has dealt with leg discomfort at points during the 2026 season, per NBC Bay Area.