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This San Francisco Giants’ 3x All-Star will be shut down for a few days.
Rafael Devers was the San Francisco Giants‘ monster acquisition in 2025, and the former Boston Red Sox slugger backed it up with 20 home runs in 90 games after the trade. But a left hamstring setback during Giants spring training is causing some concern.
The San Francisco Giants announced Saturday that Devers will be shut down from all activities for the next two to four days after experiencing left hamstring tightness before Friday’s Cactus League game against the Dodgers. Manager Tony Vitello said Devers felt discomfort during pregame defensive work, so the San Francisco Giants kept him out as a precaution. The club is taking an extreme-caution approach, per Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News.
Rafael Devers Injury Clouds San Francisco Giants Spring Training
This was supposed to be a clean-slate camp for Devers. The three-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger dealt with a back injury last season that limited his ability to play the field, and a full offseason in the Giants’ system was designed to reset the clock. He had appeared in three Cactus League games — all at first base — before the hamstring issue surfaced, with his most recent game coming Thursday against Colorado.
A healthy Devers changes everything for this lineup. In 90 games with San Francisco after being acquired from the Red Sox in June 2025, the 29-year-old posted a .236 batting average with a .347 on-base percentage, 20 home runs, and 51 RBIs, per Baseball Reference. The San Francisco Giants fully absorbed the remainder of his 10-year, $313.5 million extension, and they need the version of Devers who owns a career .276/.349/.506 slash line with 235 home runs to show up this season.
Re: Rafael Devers, he had some slight discomfort while doing infield work.
Neither Bader or Devers were slated to play tomorrow anyway. Vitello said the team will see how they’re doing for Sunday’s home game against the Padres. https://t.co/KXPEIz0MWw
— Justice delos Santos (@justdelossantos) February 27, 2026
The move to first base caused friction in Boston, but Devers heads into 2026 as San Francisco’s everyday option at the position.
What This Means for San Francisco Giants in 2026
Two to four days is nothing in the grand scheme of a 162-game season, but that’s exactly why this stings at the margins. The Giants installed a new coaching staff under Vitello this winter, and every spring rep matters for a club trying to build roster continuity after missing the postseason last year. Devers needs reps at first base. He needs at-bats against live pitching. He needs to establish rhythm with new teammates like Luis Arraez.
The timing isn’t terrible, but it is still quite noteworthy. Once Devers resumes activities, a clearer timeline for his return to Cactus League action should emerge. The Giants open the regular season on March 25 against the New York Yankees at Oracle Park, so there’s runway — but the margin for setbacks just got thinner.
The Giants cannot afford to lose their most important hitter before the games even count.
Justin Carlucci brings 13+ years of journalism experience to Heavy. A veteran of multiple industry-leading companies, he has hosted SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio shows and contributed to the New York Post, combining traditional sports and news reporting with expertise in sports betting and fantasy sports. More about Justin Carlucci
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