Rafael Devers was scheduled to undergo season-ending core muscle surgery in Philadelphia on Tuesday, closing the book on a season the San Francisco Giants slugger spent gutting out an injury he never publicly disclosed. The procedure, to be performed by Dr. William Meyers at his Vincera Institute, comes two days after the Giants placed Devers on the 60-day injured list, according to NBC Sports and CBS News San Francisco.

In a release confirming the move, the Giants said Devers "has managed this issue for much of the season and chose to keep playing through it" — a detail that recasts one of the best offensive years by a Giant in two decades as an act of endurance as much as talent.

"HAS MANAGED THIS ISSUE FOR MUCH OF THE SEASON AND CHOSE TO KEEP PLAYING THROUGH IT."

A monster year, cut short

The numbers Devers put up while hurting are staggering. Across 148 games he hit .258 with a .340 on-base percentage and .525 slugging mark, launching 37 home runs and driving in 98 runs. He became the first Giant since Jeff Kent in 2002 to reach 35 doubles and 35 homers in the same season, and his 18 home runs at Oracle Park this year are the most by any Giants hitter not named Barry Bonds since the park opened in 2000 — Bonds hit 26 there in 2004. Devers was red-hot down the stretch, belting 18 of those homers over his final 52 games after the All-Star break before the injury forced the Giants to shut him down last week.

None of it translated into a winning season. San Francisco was eliminated from playoff contention on September 6, its fifth straight year missing October, in the first season under first-time manager Tony Vitello. The San Francisco Standard notes Devers has nonetheless emerged as a dark-horse candidate for the Giants' Willie Mac Award, given annually to the team's most inspirational player — a nod that would have seemed unlikely when he arrived amid a rocky transition from Boston.

Devers was acquired from the Red Sox in June 2025 as part of a 10-year, $313.5 million contract, with roughly $211 million still owed over the next seven seasons. He turns 30 next month. San Francisco has since selected outfielder Scott Bandura's contract from Triple-A Sacramento to fill the roster spot, per ESPN.

Dr. Meyers is widely regarded as the sport's foremost core-muscle specialist, having evaluated thousands of athletes across the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB. Surgeries of this type typically carry a recovery window that allows players to be fully cleared well before the following spring, and the Giants are expected to release an official timetable once the procedure is complete. For now, the team's best hitter watches the season's final two weeks from the sideline, his 2026 campaign remembered less for the standings than for what he managed to produce while hurting.