Giants’ Rafael Devers ready for first return to Boston

As the Red Sox continue their American League playoff chase, a familiar face will pay a visit to Boston with the San Francisco Giants this weekend.

The teams begin a three-game interleague series on Friday night, with San Francisco slugger Rafael Devers returning to Boston for the first time since a blockbuster trade in June 2025.

Devers’ departure from the Red Sox was a sour one, stemming from a refusal to move from third base to first base or designated hitter following the team’s signing of Alex Bregman before last season. Ironically, he has played every game for the Giants at those slots in 2026.

While Devers will likely receive at least a smattering of boos when he steps into the batter’s box, his legacy as a three-time All-Star, two-time Silver Slugger winner and 2018 World Series champion in Boston will never be forgotten.

“I feel very happy going back over there,” Devers said, via the San Jose Mercury News. “I love the fans. … I’m not concerned about the reception. I just know that they were very good to me.”

The Giants have dropped eight straight road series after taking a 5-2 loss to the Cleveland Guardians in their Thursday afternoon finale.

A two-run home run by Willy Adames accounted for all of San Francisco’s scoring. It was his 20th of the season, as he joined teammates Devers (25) and Casey Schmitt (21) at that plateau.

Devers went 1-for-3 with two walks and will return to Boston having hit safely in five of his past six games.

“At this point, there are so many transactions, there’s always that stuff going on,” Giants manager Tony Vitello said of Devers. “When the game starts, it’s just baseball.”

San Francisco right-hander Logan Webb (8-7, 3.50 ERA) will look to continue an outstanding August stretch on Friday. After pitching six innings of one-run ball Saturday in a win over the Colorado Rockies, Webb has allowed just two runs in 20 innings this month.

Webb is 0-1 with a 5.63 ERA in three career starts against the Red Sox.

The Red Sox spent Thursday taking a deep breath after completing a stretch of 16 games in 16 days with a 7-6, 10-inning loss to the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks the previous day.

“It feels heavy in our bodies this time of the year,” first baseman Willson Contreras said. “We grind through it. We played our best throughout 16 days in a row, and we lost (Wednesday). Tough loss, but it’s baseball. … Reset, come back and win.”

Contreras has strung together three straight multi-hit games.

That stretch also doubled as a breakout period for New Hampshire native Mickey Gasper, who hit his first three homers with the Red Sox in three days. He was recalled from Triple-A Worcester on Sunday, replacing Masataka Yoshida (hamstring) on the active roster, then went deep in three consecutive games beginning the following day.

“We have a handful of those on our roster who are grinders,” Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy said. “But yeah, he’s a grinder. Like a lot of the guys who have been up here this year, he’s ready to go when called.”

Another, Nick Sogard, belted his first career homer in three major league seasons on Wednesday.

Tracy is set to hand the ball to Cy Young Award candidate Sonny Gray (15-3, 2.65 ERA), who has pitched shutout ball in two of his past three starts. He struck out seven Pittsburgh Pirates in a scoreless seven-inning start on Saturday, becoming a 15-game winner for the first time in his 14-year career.

“When you lose Garrett (Crochet), obviously going into the season as the ace of the staff, and what Sonny has done as far as leading our rotation, you cannot understate how important that’s been,” Tracy said. “Especially with some rookies in there.”

Gray recorded a victory against the Giants in each of the past two seasons, giving him a 4-1 career record with a 3.16 ERA in nine starts vs. San Francisco.

–Field Level Media