CLEVELAND -- Rafael Devers didn’t just return to action on Wednesday night at Progressive Field, but he raked and helped lift his injury-riddled Red Sox to a 8-0 victory over the Guardians.

After missing five straight games due to a bone bruise on his left knee and suiting up for the first time in a week, Devers belted a single, a homer and a double while reaching in his first four plate appearances.

As if to say, “My knee is fine,” Devers roared all the way around from first base in the top of the first inning on an RBI double by Wilyer Abreu.

Well, maybe he didn’t quite roar around the bases.

“I was praying, to be honest with you,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “He didn’t look too good, and then he kind of let it go at the end. He wasn’t moving great.”

Devers admitted having trepidation regarding his 270-foot trek on a healing left knee.

“Obviously I was scared to go full speed there,” Devers said. “I haven't run full speed since I got my injury, but I felt good. I didn’t feel any pain or anything like that. I'm gonna take it day by day to see how I keep feeling, but everything went well.”

When the baseball first left Abreu’s bat, Devers planned on taking it conservatively and perhaps going first to third. But he read the play and turned on the jets as it developed.

“As soon as I saw the ball go through the outfielder, that's when I started putting some pressure on to try to run faster,” Devers said. “Until then, I was trying to take it easy. But when I saw it go by and I had the opportunity to score, that's when I went for it.”

In the fifth, Devers figured out a way to go much easier on his knee, when he took a low and outside changeup by Carlos Carrasco and drilled it into the seats in left-center field.

How did Devers swing the bat so well after not being at game speed for a week?

“I never stopped hitting,” said Devers. “I never stopped doing my routine even though I couldn't swing hard. I was always doing my work there, my mechanical work, so that's why when I came back, my timing wasn’t too much off. That's why everything went well because I kept doing my work during this time off.”

Forgive Cora for not being all that surprised by the impactful return to action by Devers.

“We know who he is,” Cora said. “He’s very important to our offense. He likes hitting here, we know that. To have him in the lineup is always good.”

In 85 career at-bats in Cleveland, Devers is slashing .329/.412/.647 with seven homers and 15 RBIs.

His return to action could not have been better timed.

Prior to the game, the Red Sox had yet another injury to announce, as Brayan Bello (right lat tightness) joined fellow rotation members Nick Pivetta and Garrett Whitlock on the 15-day injured list.

This news came a day after the club revealed a left rib fracture for key slugger Triston Casas.

But the Red Sox, a respectable 14-11, have developed a next-man-up mentality.

Not only did Devers have a big night, but Cooper Criswell, one of the fill-in starters, fired five scoreless innings.

And Connor Wong belted a pair of homers as part of a four-hit night.

“It's very good,” said Devers. “I don't know how people outside the organization see us, but I think we’re a very capable group. We have very young talent here. They're doing their job and they’re stepping up and it’s very positive for us to win despite all the injuries.”

It goes without saying that it’s much easier for the Red Sox to survive being short-handed when Devers isn’t one of the players who is out of action.

“Anytime that guy’s in the lineup, it completely changes it,” said Wong. “He can hit the ball really far at any point in the game, and so it's great when he’s in there.”