Red Sox-Giants Blockbuster Had Unfortunate Consequence For Rafael Devers

Rafael Devers was a three-time American League All-Star with the Boston Red Sox. He was on track for a fourth in 2025, but just about everything has changed in the last month.

Devers was traded to the San Francisco Giants on Jun. 15, marking the most shocking blockbuster of the year in Major League Baseball. He's struggled a bit in his first few weeks with his new club, but on the whole, his season numbers are still excellent.

However, moving to the National League meant that the competition for an All-Star spot at the designated hitter position was a whole lot stiffer. And on Sunday, Devers got the short end of the stick.

As the final rosters were announced, Devers missed out on the NL's reserve DH spot, which instead went to the Philadelphia Phillies' Kyle Schwarber. Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani had already long been locked in as the starting DH in the Senior Circuit.

Just after the trade, when the first balloting results were announced, Devers had more than double the votes of any other American League designated hitter. Had he remained in Boston through the All-Star Game, it's a near-certainty he would have been in the starting lineup in Atlanta.

Instead, it's Baltimore Orioles DH Ryan O'Hearn who will get the starting nod, with the Athletics' Brent Rooker coming in off the bench.

There's still a chance Devers could be named as a replacement in the case of injury or an opt-out. Last season, Devers himself opted out of the event, as he was nursing a shoulder injury at the time of the game.

Of course, All-Star nominations aren't the end-all, be-all. Devers could make a deep playoff run with the Giants and the Red Sox could be left out of October baseball for the fourth straight year.

But players take pride in building up their resumes, and there's no doubt that the trade had the unintended consequence of preventing Devers from adding another notch to his ledger, barring a last-minute change, of course.