Rafael Devers entered the season under a cloud of controversy due to his disinterest in moving from third base to designated hitter. Now he’s balking at another move.
The longtime third baseman has been a full-time designated hitter this season, after the Boston Red Sox signed another All-Star at the position, Alex Bregman, over the offseason. However, the first-base position is now wide open after Triston Casas’ season-ending ruptured patellar tendon.
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Some thought Devers would be a natural solution, given that third basemen frequently appear on first-base depth charts, but the 28-year-old shot the idea down and then some on Thursday.
Through an interpreter, he told reporters that the front office approached him about the move, and his answer was a firm “no,” via Christopher Smith of MassLive:
“They had the conversation with me,” Devers said through translator Daveson Perez. “I don’t think me personally it’s the best decision after they asked me to play a different position, and I only have two months of playing this position.
“To all of a sudden have me try to play another position — so from my end, it doesn’t seem like a good decision.”
That response alone would’ve been some of the harshest criticism a player has leveled at his own front office in recent years, but Devers kept going. He questioned the idea to even ask him and implied that he still isn’t happy about the DH move:
“I know I’m a ballplayer but at the same time, they can’t expect me to play every single position out there. In spring training, they talked to me and basically told me to put away my glove — that I wasn’t going to play any other position but DH. So right now, I just feel like it’s not an appropriate decision by them to ask me to play another position.”
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He basically told the front office that figuring out first base is their job, not his:
“Now I think they should do their job essentially and hit the market and look for another player [to play first base]. I’m not sure why they want me to be in between the way they have me now.”
He also said he thinks they just aren’t truthful:
“Yeah. I don’t think they stay true to their word. They told me I was going to be playing this position, DH. And now they are going back on that. So yeah, I don’t think they stay true to their word.”
Finally, he openly questioned the decisions of Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow:
“Here in the clubhouse thankfully the relationship that I have with my teammates is great,” Devers said. “I don’t understand some of the decisions that the GM makes. Next thing you know, someone in the outfield gets hurt, and they want me to play in the outfield. I think I know the kind of player I am. And yeah, that’s just where I stand.”
Rafael Devers has not been a happy camper on the Red Sox this season. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
(Winslow Townson via Getty Images)
It is at this point that we will remind you Devers is in the second year of a 10-year, $313.5 million contract with the Red Sox, and his relationship with the team’s front office already appears to be on the ropes. Red Sox manager Alex Cora indicated earlier this week that he was hesitant to ask Devers before warming up to the idea, and the meeting clearly didn’t go well.
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Devers also made headlines at the start of the season by going hitless with 15 strikeouts in his first 19 at-bats, though he has since somewhat recovered statistically.
Entering Thursday, he was slashing .246/.370/.430 with five homers, 23 RBI and an OPS+ of 125, which means he has been 30% better than MLB average when adjusted for park. He ranks second in the AL in strikeouts at 46 but also leads the league in walks with 28.
Clearly, Devers is committed to being a third baseman and is willing to wait out Bregman, who has an opt-out after both 2025 and 2026, to get the position back. He’s not making any friends by refusing to play elsewhere on defense, though, especially given that 31 different players have played both third and first base already this season, per Stathead.
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In the meantime, with Casas out, the Red Sox have been using utility men Romy González and Abraham Toro at first base.
Further complicating Devers’ love for third base is that the stats just don’t think he’s very good at it, and he’s probably not getting better with age. By Defensive Runs Saved, Devers has been a negative at third every season of his career save for 2021, with a total of 61 additional runs allowed at the hot corner since his debut in 2017.
A move to first might very well come for Devers over the next few years, whether he likes it or not.
