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One of the greatest points of tension that spelled the end of Rafael Devers‘ tenure in Boston was his refusal to play first base for the Red Sox.
But, after being traded to the San Francisco Giants on Sunday, it seems Devers has had a change of heart, and is willing to fill a need for his new team that he was unwilling to for his previous organization.
“I’m here to play wherever they want me to play,” Devers said when speaking to the media ahead of his Giants’ debut.
On Tuesday, Devers will bat third and play designated hitter, but he will reportedly take ground balls to “get comfortable” at 1B. This is significant for the Giants as Devers’ former and usual position in the field — third base — is manned by five-time Gold Glove winner Matt Chapman.
If Devers can play first base for the Giants, that would also allow them to keep Wilmer Flores in the lineup at DH, where he’s had a bounce-back season in 2025, slashing .256/.324/.409 with 11 home runs and 51 runs batted in.
Similar to the Giants, the Red Sox couldn’t play Devers at third base because of another defensive savant being ahead of him. But the situations are a little different.
Prior to 2025, Devers had played 3B for eight seasons, but when the Red Sox acquired Alex Bregman this offseason, they explicitly told Devers they didn’t want him to play anywhere other than DH. However, on May 2, Boston’s starting first-baseman, Tristan Casas, suffered a season-ending patellar tendon injury.
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With no clear replacement for Casas, the Red Sox were in a tough spot. Devers didn’t help the situation. While he technically was abiding by what the team told him and sticking to the only position they wanted him at, it also seemed as if he was getting back at them for replacing him at third base.
“They put me in this situation,” Devers said back in May. “They told me they didn’t want me to play any other positions… Now, 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 an in-between.”
[Related: The Red Sox Botched the Rafael Devers Saga Every Step of the Way]
Three weeks later, after Bregman sustained a quad injury, Devers remained at DH. With Devers unwilling to play in the field, the Red Sox turned to career-utility players Abraham Toro and Romy Gonzalez, as well as calling up prospect Marcelo Mayer to fill their holes at first and third base.
Despite the tension, Devers was hitting .272/.401/.504 with 15 HRs and 58 RBIs, while the Red Sox closed the gap in the AL Wild Card race and even swept the New York Yankees last weekend. However, an inflection point came Sunday when Devers was finally traded to San Francisco.
A fresh start for both sides, a change. It seems that’s what Devers wanted all along, because he’s perfectly happy now to play whatever position his new team wants him to fill, and it may be the same one he wouldn’t play for his former team when they desperately needed him to.
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