Days after Rafael Devers refuses to play 1st base, MLB insider gives important advice to the Red Sox superstar

The Boston Red Sox have a hole to fill at first base after Triston Casas' season-ending injury earlier this month. The team's decision to move Rafael Devers to the position has also failed after the All-Star slugger refused to change his position for a second time this year.

Rafael Devers, Boston's designated third baseman for several years, was moved to a new role as a designated hitter at the start of the season after the signing of Alex Bregman in the offseason.

While Devers was reluctant to switch positions initially, he slotted in as the DH. However, Devers shared his disappointment when he was asked to change positions in the wake of Casas' injury.

He was vocal about his dissatisfaction with the management, which led to a meeting with owner John Henry, president Sam Kennedy, and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, along with manager Alex Cora.

MLB insider Jeff Passan weighed in on the situation. Though Passan acknowledged Devers' dissatisfaction, he urged the slugger to "open to" any position Boston wants him to occupy. Passan said on "Baseball Tonight" on ESPN (2:00 onwards):

"They want him to move to first base. And he's saying, 'No,' you can understand both sides of this. The Red Sox screwed up during spring training. They just did not handle it particularly well, but when Casas goes down and the Red Sox have playoff aspirations, if you are Rafael Devers, you have to be open-minded to this, and eventually, I think that's where they're going to land."

Rafael Devers hailed by Red Sox teammate

Since Friday's meeting with the top brass, Rafael Devers has been raking at the plate. He had a three-RBI game on Saturday and followed with another two-RBI game on Saturday.

He struck a two-run home run to propel Boston to a 3-1 win in the series decider. Red Sox starter Lucas Giolito, who pitched 6.2 scoreless innings on Sunday, hailed Devers.

“I’m glad he’s on my team and I don’t have to pitch to him anymore,” Giolito said. “He’s an incredible hitter and we’re very lucky to have him.”

It remains to be seen if Boston is successful in persuading Rafael Devers to a new position for a second time this season.

About the author

Chaitanya Prakash is an editor who covers US Sports at Sportskeeda. His first brush with sportswriting was in 2012 when the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, bid farewell to the beautiful game.

Although having started out professionally as a cricket writer in 2022, Chaitanya's curiosity and indiscriminate interest in all sports in general eventually introduced him to America's favorite pastime.

While Chaitanya's favorite player from the current crop is the dynamic Venezuelan Ronald Acuna Jr., his all-time favorite, however, is Pedro Martinez, for his self-belief and consistency. He also rates Jose Bautista's iconic bat flip in 2015 as his favorite moment in baseball history.

Chaitanya specializes in reporting on technical aspects of the game or analyzing patterns behind specific plays. He also likes pondering over players' self-assessments following the conclusion of a game as it helps him get an idea of how they think about the sport in general.

When not cheering for his favorites across sports, Chaitanya likes being transported to the past through a good war documentary or a historical documentary in general.

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Edited by Chaitanya Prakash