Devers does it all for PawSox in Triple-A debut

Rafael Devers announced his presence in the International League in spectacular fashion on Saturday night.
Boston's top prospect went 4-for-4 with a homer, double and two RBIs in his Triple-A debut as Pawtucket defeated Syracuse, 7-4, at NBT Bank Stadium.

Devers began his night with a two-out single to left field in the second inning. The 20-year-old added another single to right to lead off the fifth, then lined a double to right with two outs in the sixth.
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By the eighth, the Chiefs decided they needed to match up against Devers. Veteran left-hander Neal Cotts was brought on to face MLB.com's No. 12 overall prospect with a runner on second and one out.

With a 2-1 count and on the fourth pitch of the at-bat, the native of the Dominican Republic connected on a drive that easily cleared the fence in right for his first Triple-A homer.
The blast capped a memorable night for the third baseman that also included an impressive barehanded play for an out in the eighth. Along the way, he posted his second four-hit game of the season while lofting his 19th long ball and driving in his 57th and 58th runs.

Devers was promoted Thursday from Double-A Portland after compiling a .300/.369/.575 slash line in 77 Eastern League games. Often praised for his immense power, the 2013 international free agent ranked fourth in homers and third in OPS (.944) on the circuit.
Devers' callup came on the same day the Red Sox designated Pablo Sandoval for assignment. Dave Dombrowski, Boston's president of baseball operations, said he simply wants to see how the 6-foot, 195-pound youngster handles International League pitching.

"Our guys just feel with his age, where he is and what he's come through that it would be beneficial for him to go to Triple-A from a maturity perspective," Dombrowski told NESN.com. "Really, this year he's been tremendous, but we thought it might be beneficial for him to see Triple-A and be part of that and see how he adjusts to that."

Matt Dominguez added two hits and two RBIs for the PawSox.
Starter Jalen Beeks (3-3), the Red Sox's No. 27 prospect, yielded a run on five hits and a walk with six strikeouts over six frames.
A.J. Cole (4-4) gave up two runs on eight hits with a walk and six strikeouts over six innings for Syracuse.