Rafael Devers producing as Boston's DH after slow start

BOSTON (AP) — Rafael Devers has settled into his role as the designated hitter for the Boston Red Sox and said recently that he wasn’t changing his mind about moving to first base.

If he keeps going like this, why bother trying.

Devers homered leading off the bottom of the ninth inning against Pierce Johnson, sending the Red Sox to a 7-6 comeback win over the Atlanta Braves on Saturday night that snapped their four-game losing streak.

“I feel very comfortable right now,” he said through a team interpreter. “I have my routine and go out there every day and do my routine to get ready and I feel very comfortable as a DH.”

After Devers shared his feelings about not wanting to play first, Red Sox owner John Henry flew to share his opinions with the disgruntled slugger.

Henry, team president Sam Kennedy and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow flew to Kansas City to meet with Devers and manager Alex Cora on May 9.

But after a historically slow start to the season, Devers has been hot at the plate. He’s reached base 19 of his past 20 games, hitting .397 with six homers and 20 RBIs in that stretch.

“He’s been swinging the bat well, taking his walks,” Alex said. “That first weekend, whoever has an explanation of what happened there, give me a call and explain it because it was hard to see it and then he just changed. He’s been really good.”

On Saturday, he hit his first career walk-off.

“Obviously, very excited because of the type of game. For us to be able to come back and win this type of game means a lot,” Devers said. “And also to get it going with the team to get everybody excited.”

The Red Sox had tried to talk Devers into moving to first after regular first baseman Triston Casas was lost for the season following surgery on his left knee.

“He has his routine down,” Cora said. “He cares about us, he cares about the team and he wants to win. Right now, like I said before, he’s our DH and he’s done an outstanding job. … He’s probably the best DH in the American League right now.”

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Boston Red Sox's Rafael Devers celebrate in the dugout after hitting a two-run home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Sunday, May 11, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Boston Red Sox's Rafael Devers, center, celebrates with teammates as he scores after hitting a walkoff home run in the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Saturday, May 17, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Boston Red Sox's Rafael Devers, right, reacts as he starts to run the bases after hitting a walkoff home run in the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Saturday, May 17, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Boston Red Sox's Rafael Devers, left, celebrates as he runs the bases toward home after hitting a walkoff home run in the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Atlanta Braves, Saturday, May 17, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

ADEN, Yemen (AP) — Southern separatists in Yemen said Saudi warplanes carried out new airstrikes Saturday on a military camp in the port city of Mukalla and other areas where their forces are stationed, as Saudi-backed forces moved to retake the city.

There was no immediate Saudi comment. It was the latest direct intervention by Saudi Arabia, which in recent weeks has bombed the separatist Southern Transitional Council, or STC, and struck what is said was a shipment of Emirati weapons destined for it.

The Saudi strikes hit Barshid Brigade camp west of Mukalla in Hadramout, one of two governorates seized last month by the STC, according to the group’s AIC satellite news channel.

Yemen has been engulfed in civil war for more than a decade, with Iran-backed Houthi rebels controlling much of the north and a Saudi-led coalition supporting the internationally recognized government in the south. But coalition member the United Arab Emirates also supports the separatists, who call for South Yemen to secede again from Yemen.

The latest Saudi strikes came a day after the separatist movement announced a constitution for an independent nation in the south.

Last month, the STC moved into Hadramout and Mahra and seized an oil-rich region. That pushed out allies of the Saudi-supported National Shield forces, a group in the anti-Houthi coalition.

After Saudi pressure and an ultimatum from anti-Houthi forces to withdraw from Yemen, the UAE said early Saturday it had pulled out all its forces.

The tensions in Yemen have further strained ties between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, neighbors on the Arabian Peninsula that have competed over economic issues and regional politics, particularly in the Red Sea area. Ostensibly, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have shared the coalition's professed goal of restoring Yemen's internationally recognized government.

An official with the STC told The Associated Press on Saturday that more than 100 Saudi airstrikes struck multiple locations across Hadramout over the past 24 hours, resulting in deaths and injuries. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to brief the media.

Mukalla residents Ahmed al-Faradi and Salem Maadan told the AP the city was now controlled by the Hadramout Tribes Confederacy and the National Shield forces.

Col. Ahmed Baqatyan, a military commander in the Hadramout Tribes Confederacy, said that striking the Barshid Brigade camp was necessary because it sits on the route to the southern port city of Aden. He said clearing the camp of STC forces was aimed at preventing them from regrouping and launching a return to Mukalla.

Meanwhile, Yemen’s Transportation Ministry, aligned with the STC, condemned Saudi airstrikes late Friday it said targeted the international airport in Seiyun, “exposing the airport to serious risks that could damage its infrastructure, hindering its operation and the resumption of flights.”

Earlier on Saturday, Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry said it plans to hold a conference in its capital, Riyadh, to bring together all southern factions in Yemen "to discuss just solutions to the southern cause."

Saudi Arabia was responding to a request for dialogue from Rashad al-Alimi, head of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, the ruling organ of the internationally recognized government.

There were no immediate details about the proposed conference.

The anti-Houthi coalition was showing other signs of strain. Clashes erupted on Friday between National Shield forces and the southern forces in Hadramout and their allies, killing at least eight people, paramedic Ahmed al-Ketheri told the AP.

Hilal Khashan, political science professor at the American University of Beirut, said that when Saudi Arabia and the UAE began a military operation against the Houthis a decade ago, the Saudis were interested in controlling the mountains of Saada, while the UAE wanted to capture Aden because of its importance as a gateway to the Red Sea.

Khashan said the situation got out of control in recent weeks when the UAE-backed STC started capturing areas in Hadramout that border the kingdom.

“For the Saudis that was a red line,” Khashan said, adding that the Saudis felt that they were being “held captive between the Houthis in the north and the UAE in the south.” They ”decided to stop the UAE from its regional expansionism," he said.

Khaled reported from Cairo. Associated Press writer Bassem Mroue in Beirut contributed to this report.

Supporters of the Southern Transitional Council (STC), a coalition of separatist groups seeking to restore the state of South Yemen, hold South Yemen flags during a rally, in Aden, Yemen, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo)