Rafael Devers will be back in Boston tonight

The Boston Red Sox are 68-59 this season and hold a five-and-a-half-game lead over the Minnesota Twins for the final American League Wild Card spot.

Every series is therefore important at this stage of the season. But the race for the postseason won't be the only topic in town during the Red Sox's series this weekend.

That's because the San Francisco Giants are coming to Boston, which means the Sox will welcome back their former star Rafael Devers for the first time since the 2025 trade that sent him to the Bay Area.

Devers was supposed to be the face of the Massachusetts franchise, having signed a 10-year, $313.5 million contract with the Red Sox. The 29-year-old began his Major League career in 2017 and spent more than eight seasons with the Boston team, winning a World Series title along the way.

But the shake-up came last year, after Alex Bregman signed with the club and the Red Sox wanted Devers to switch positions to become a first baseman when Triston Casas got injured.

However, Devers wouldn't hear of the change. He was ultimately used as a designated hitter at the start of the season, but he never put on his glove to play first base.

Even a year later, more drama has emerged, with reports surfacing that some members of the organization viewed Devers as immature and selfish. Not to mention the ongoing frustration over the batting order.

So it will be really interesting to see how Red Sox fans react at Fenway Park starting tonight (Friday). Let's just say that hearing boos wouldn't be surprising.

Created by humans, assisted by AI.