Early in the season Rafael Devers missed time with a series of ailments, among them a sore left shoulder.

That injury never went away, though you wouldn’t know it the way he’s been playing.

Devers confirmed that the shoulder injury keeping him out of next week’s All-Star Game is the same one that briefly sidelined him back in late April. He’s continued to grind through the pain in the meantime, though he and the club decided it would be best he take the All-Star Break off so he can come back fresh for the second half.

“It’s been bothering me but I’m not going to be talking about it every single time,” Devers said via translator Carlos Villoria Benítez. “I know what I’m dealing with and I knew what I need to do to stay on the field and that’s what I’ve been doing the last few weeks.”

Even with the sore shoulder Devers has continued to produce at a high rate. Entering Wednesday the third baseman was batting .296 with 21 home runs, 58 RBI, 58 runs scored and a .976 OPS, all of which rank among the best in the American League.

Manager Alex Cora, who has repeatedly called Devers “the guy” and the face of the franchise over the past week, praised his toughness and the example he’s set for his less experienced teammates.

“You talk about leadership, one of the things you have to do is be able to post and play through injuries,” Cora said. “Obviously throughout the years he’s been taught the right way, Xander (Bogaerts) playing through stuff, Mookie (Betts) playing through stuff, (Justin Turner) playing through stuff last year, so he understands not all the time you’re going to feel 100%.

“I’m glad that he’s doing it, I’m glad he’s smart about it,” Cora continued. “Like I said, whenever we have to take care of him, we will, because then in the future he’s going to take care of us.”