Rafael Devers may be waging his war against the Red Sox front office alone.
Devers’ postgame salvo toward Boston’s decision-makers stating his refusal to shift to first base elicited “not positive” reactions from teammates in the clubhouse at the time, according to Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald.
Red Sox top baseball executive Craig Breslow approached Devers about a potential shift to first base after Triston Casas’ season-ending injury, the second time this year the slugger has been asked about shifting positions after he previously moved to designated hitter to let Alex Bregman man third base.
“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,” Devers said Thursday via translator, according to the Associated Press. “I wasn’t going to play another position other than DH. Right now, I don’t think it would be an appropriate decision by them to ask me to play another position.”
The Devers-Red Sox drama is a complicated situation dating back to spring training, when the team moved their homegrown star from his position to accommodate a free-agent signing in Bregman.
Devers didn’t particularly love being shifted from the hot corner, but he made the transition.
There’s a now a giant hole with Casas done for the year after rupturing his left patellar tendon, and the natural move would be to shift Devers and open the designated hitter role for another player, be it those already on the active roster or perhaps the promotion of one of Boston’s top prospects.
Boston used the uninspiring combination of Romy Gonzalez and Abraham Toro at first base during its recent series against the Rangers.
“They told me that I’m a little hard-headed, but they already asked me to change (positions) once,” Devers said. “This time, I don’t think I can be as flexible. I don’t feel they stayed true to their word. They told me I was going to play this position, DH. Now they’re going back on that.”
Teammates notice whether players put themselves or the team first and this report indicates Devers may not have support in the clubhouse for refusing to go to first base.
Plenty of players have shifted to first base during their careers, even those who have been butchers at those position, and some have projected that may be where Devers ends up down the line.
Devers, though, has yet to play the position in the majors — and we all know what Ron Washington would tell those about making the transition to first base.
“He (Breslow) played ball. I would like to think that he knows that changing positions isn’t easy,” Devers said through a translator in reference to Breslow’s 12-season career.
“They put me in this situation. They told me they didn’t want me to play any other positions.”
Devers offered advice on how Breslow could best navigate the situation.
“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,” he said. “Next thing you know, someone in the outfield gets hurt and they want me to play in the outfield. I know the kind of player that I am, and that’s where I stand.”