BOSTON -- After a historic 28-5 loss to the Blue Jays on Friday night, the Red Sox were eager to turn the page, with a chance to win their first American League East series of the season still in play.

But the next day revealed that the worst outcome of that contest was still to come.

Ahead of Saturday’s 4-1 defeat at Fenway Park, the Red Sox placed third baseman Rafael Devers on the 10-day injured list with right hamstring inflammation.

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Without him, Bobby Dalbec’s solo home run to lead off the second inning was all that Boston could muster against Toronto starter Alek Manoah, who has dominated the Red Sox this season. Boston moved to 0-11-1 in series against its division foes.

“We just got to keep playing hard,” said manager Alex Cora. “I wouldn’t say it’s going to get easier. We’re banged up; we know that. … Nobody’s going to feel sorry for us.

“This is where we’re at.”

Devers felt discomfort in his hamstring after his fifth-inning at-bat on Friday, his last of the night. On his first hit of that game, a double, he didn’t seem to be at 100 percent while running to first base. And after a swing in that final plate appearance, Devers grabbed at the hamstring, prompting a check-in from his skipper.

“I was like, ‘Oh, are you OK?’” Cora said. “And he was like, ‘Nah.’”

Devers was replaced by Dalbec in the top of the sixth. The 25-year-old underwent testing before Saturday’s game, and the Red Sox decided that they would need to “be proactive” and place him on the IL.

They don’t expect it to be a long stint, however. Devers could return as soon as he is eligible, which would be when the Red Sox travel to Houston to take on the AL West-leading Astros from Aug. 1-3.

“[We] just talked about it, and the hope is for him to be back as soon as possible,” Cora said.

In corresponding moves, outfielder Jaylin Davis was selected to the Major League roster from Triple-A Worcester, while outfielder Kiké Hernández was transferred to the 60-day IL with his lingering right hip flexor strain, which opened up a spot on the club’s 40-man.

Rookie infielder Jeter Downs took Devers’ place at third base in Saturday’s contest, slotting into the No. 9 spot in the lineup. Dalbec will likely see time there as well, possibly with Christian Vázquez playing first base against left-handed starters.

“We’ve got to mix and match for 'X' amount of days, and we’ll do that,” Cora said.

Devers entered the day leading the American League in hits with 113, while ranking second in batting average (.324), extra-base hits (54) and runs scored (62) and third in slugging (.602) OPS (.981) and doubles (29). In 87 games, he has racked up 22 homers and 55 RBIs.

Per FanGraphs, Devers’ 4.6 WAR trails only the Yankees’ Aaron Judge and the Angels’ Shohei Ohtani in the AL. Behind that dominant first half, Devers was selected to the AL’s starting lineup for the All-Star Game for the second straight season, beating out the Guardians’ José Ramírez in the balloting. Devers played in that Midsummer Classic on Tuesday in Los Angeles.

Losing one of the best players in the Majors would be a tough blow for any team to weather, but it is especially true for the Red Sox, who have one of the more unenviable injury reports in the game. Devers became Boston’s 12th player to go on the IL this month, only a day after lefty Chris Sale became the 11th. The names include lefty Rich Hill, righty Michael Wacha, infielder Christian Arroyo and second baseman Trevor Story; only catcher Kevin Plawecki has returned since going on it.

“It is very challenging,” said shortstop Xander Bogaerts. “A lot of really good players are out. Some of our best players are out. It’s tough. But no one can feel sorry for you, especially the opposing team. The opposing team, the team that’s looking at the schedule, that sees that the Red Sox are next -- there’s no sympathy. They don’t feel sorry; they feel like it’s a perfect situation for them.

“So we got to go out with the lineup we have, the team we have. We’re all Major League players in the end. We’re all here for a reason. We can play.”