What in the heck was wrong with Rafael Devers in April, anyway?

Rafael Devers’ April slump looked startling because the Boston Red Sox star was missing production just as the swings seemed to stay the same. In his most recent stretch, he went on a tear—entering Sunday with 11 home runs in his last 20 games—and in the Giants’ series finale he struck out three times, including his second hat trick in four games. The article revisits April’s “outlier” month using batting data, noting his bat speed dipped only slightly and that the main pattern wasn’t simply a weather or injury explanation. Instead, pitchers’ approach and Devers’ adjustments are discussed, even if they didn’t fully align with early theories.