Rafael Devers upset by request he move to first: ‘They can’t expect me to play every single position’

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BOSTON — Rafael Devers said he is frustrated that the Red Sox asked him to play first base in the wake of Triston Casas’ season-ending knee injury last week, and he is unwilling to move to the position.

“I know I’m a ballplayer, but at the same time, they can’t expect me to play every single position out there,” Devers said through team translator Daveson Perez after a 5-0 win over the Rangers. “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.”

The 28-year-old said chief baseball officer Craig Breslow spoke with him following Casas’ injury and asked him to consider a move to first.

“I’m not certain what he has with me,” Devers said of Breslow. “He played ball (Breslow pitched in the majors for 12 seasons), and I would like to think that he knows that changing positions like that isn’t easy.

“They put me in this situation, and they told me that they didn’t want to allow me to play any other position,” Devers said. “Now, I think they should do their jobs, essentially, and hit the market and look for another player. I’m not sure why they want me to be in-between the way they have been.”

Until Thursday, Devers had not spoken to the media since Casas’ injury, despite several requests.

When the Red Sox signed reigning AL Gold Glove third baseman Alex Bregman in spring training to bolster their lineup, they made a decision to move Devers off third base to a designated hitter role. After expressing initial frustrations and refusing to move off third base, Devers eventually acquiesced and took over the DH role.

Tensions between Devers and the team had calmed as he settled into a routine as the designated hitter. Though he’s hitting .255 with an .834 OPS and six homers on the season, he’s hit .285 with an .896 OPS over the last month following a rocky first week.

But tensions between the team and its franchise player have seemingly flared up once again.

Asked if he was upset about being the inquiry to change positions, Devers didn’t hold back.

“Yes, of course,” he said. “I don’t feel that they stayed true to their word. They told me that I was going to be playing this position, DH, and now they’re going back on that. So I just don’t think they stayed true to their word.”

Though Devers eventually changed his mind about being the DH, he doesn’t think he’ll have a similar change of heart about first base.

“I don’t think so,” he said. “They’ve told me I’m a little hard-headed. And they already asked me to change once, and this time, I don’t think I can be as flexible.”

While Devers’ refusal to play first may seem like he’s putting himself above the team and potentially threatening the team culture, he thinks, at least, he is on good terms with his teammates.

“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 that I am, and that’s just where I stand.”

In 2023, Devers signed a 10-year, $313.5 million contract extension that was set to begin at the start of the 2024 season. With eight more years left on the deal, he and the team seem to be at a crossroads.

Since Casas ruptured his left patellar tendon, the Red Sox have used utility men Romy Gonzalez and Abraham Toro at the position.

For now, the Red Sox seem to be moving ahead with the pair, but last weekend, Breslow left the door open to adding a player outside the organization.

In speaking shortly after Casas’ injury, manager Alex Cora was adamant that Devers would remain at designated hitter, but acknowledged earlier this week that might change.

“I think right now, the most important thing is he’s very comfortable where he’s at DHing, and we’re very comfortable with what he’s doing,” Cora said on Wednesday. “Everybody was talking about, is he going to get used to it? Can he DH because he’s not playing third base? He needs to play third for him to hit. Well, no. He doesn’t need to play third base or first base to hit. Obviously, things might change. But as of now, I think Toro and Gonzalez makes sense for us, and let Raffy be Raffy.”

After Devers comments on Thursday, it doesn’t appear there will be any changes with his position.

The Red Sox sit at 20-19 coming off back-to-back wins against the Rangers, they head on the road for a tough six games against Detroit and Kansas City.

Devers spoke 20 minutes before the team bus was leaving for the airport as several players were packing their bags for an upcoming road trip so there was little time for any reaction from the rest of the clubhouse. Cora had already addressed the media for the day.

The Athletic reached out to Breslow for comment following Devers’ remarks but has not yet received a reply.

Regardless, the situation with Devers doesn’t appear to be going anywhere anytime soon.

(Photo: Jaiden Tripi / Getty Images)

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