Rafael Devers might have found his groove again.
Devers has homered in back-to-back games after cracking a 93.2-mph sinker from Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Carmen Mlodzinski into a 399-foot fly ball just over center in a 5-2 win on Friday, May 8.
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He also added an RBI on a 2-for-4 batting night.
The Giants are now 15-23, but still at the bottom of the NL West standings. Devers hasn’t had the best start to the 2026 season. He entered Friday with a batting stat line of .221/.265/.329.
After Friday, Devers has a .229 batting average, .271 OBP and .354 SLG in 37 games. He’s accounted for four homers, 12 runs and 16 RBIs in 2026.
But his recent games could be a sign of good things ahead for Devers and the Giants. Over his last seven games, Devers has registered a .350 batting average, slugging 7-for-20. In that span, he hit two home runs and had 5 RBIs on a .391 OBP, .750 SLG and 1.141 OPS.
San Francisco hasn’t had the ideal start to the season. It came with attention, not necessarily expectation, with the team taking a chance on signing a manager with zero major league experience.
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The Giants hired Tony Vitello, whose previous experience came as a successful collegiate baseball coach at the University of Tennessee. He won a national championship in Knoxville.
USA TODAY Sports gave the Giants a D+ grade for their performance after a month, which has seen an inability to score runs, hit the ball or close games.
But the ‘black and orange’ could see brighter horizons coming soon with their win against the Pirates.
Devers playing up to his $27.5 million contract in 2026, could be a sign things are turning around. San Francisco will need him. The Giants have Devers under contract until 2033, paying him $28.5 million per year.
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Devers balling out makes nearly everyone in the Bay Area happy. Let’s see if this is the version of Devers that keeps showing up for the Giants.
MLB: How is San Francisco Giants’ season going? Bottom of the power rankings.
Check out the San Francisco Giants vs. Pittsburgh Pirates highlights from Friday, May 8.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Has Giants slugger Rafael Devers found his groove after slow start?
