"I don’t feel they were true to their word"
Rafael Devers made it clear this week: he’s not moving across the diamond. Rather, he’s not wearing the glove again, that he did not want to give up in the first place.
After reports that the Red Sox approached their designated hitter about filling in at first base following Triston Casas’ season-ending knee injury, Devers confirmed that he was asked, and turned the offer down. “They had the conversation with me,” Devers said through interpreter Daveson Perez. “I don’t think, for me personally, it’s the best decision… they asked me to play a different position and I only had two months playing this position [DH], to all of a sudden have me try to play another. It doesn’t seem like a good decision.”
The request came after Casas ruptured his left patellar tendon, an injury that required surgery and ruled him out for the remainder of the year. In the wake of that Casas’ season-ending injury, Boston’s front office, including chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, reportedly approached Devers about the possibility of stepping in at first.
Devers, however, felt blindsided.
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“In Spring Training, they told me to put my glove away. They told me I wouldn’t be playing any other position but DH,” he said. “Now they’re going back on that. I don’t feel they were true to their word.”
While manager Alex Cora had previously said no conversations with Devers had taken place, the 27-year-old clarified that the front office did reach out following Casas’ injury.
Asked if he’d reconsider down the line, Devers was blunt: “No. They’ve told me I’m a little hard-headed and they already asked me to change once. This time, I don’t think I can be as flexible.”
Devers also admitted he was frustrated that Breslow, himself a former player, was the one to initiate the request.
ALSO READ: Triston Casas Suffers ‘Significant Knee Injury’: How Will Red Sox Fill First Base?
“I’m not certain what he has with me,” Devers said. “He played ball. I’d like to think he knows that a position change like that isn’t easy.”
Despite the off-field friction, Devers continues to produce at the plate. He went 2-for-3 with a homer and two RBIs in Thursday’s 5-0 win over the Rangers, and is now hitting .383 with four home runs and 11 RBIs over his last 12 games. Cora has recently pointed to Devers’ improved comfort with the DH role as a factor in his hot streak, a routine the slugger isn’t willing to disrupt.
“I know I’m a ballplayer, but they can’t expect me to play every single position out there,” Devers said.
For now, he’s staying put.
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