Red Sox Star Rafael Devers Rejects Position Switch to First Base Amid Team’s Infield Crisis
By [Your Name], Sports Correspondent, May 9, 2025
Boston, MA – Rafael Devers, the Boston Red Sox’s three-time All-Star and cornerstone slugger, issued a sharp rebuke to team management’s proposal to move him from designated hitter (DH) to first base, following the season-ending injury to first baseman Triston Casas. Speaking to reporters on May 8, 2025, Devers expressed frustration with the Red Sox front office, accusing them of breaking their word after already shifting him from third base to DH earlier this season to accommodate the signing of Alex Bregman. His comments, laced with defiance, have sparked debate about his future with the team and the organization’s handling of its infield woes.
The Proposal and Devers’s Response
The Red Sox, currently 20-19 and 1.5 games behind the New York Yankees in the AL East, are grappling with a significant gap at first base after Casas ruptured his left knee tendon in a collision during a 6-1 win over the Minnesota Twins on May 2, 2025. With Casas sidelined for the season, Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow approached Devers about transitioning to first base, a position he has never played in his nine-year MLB career.
Devers, 28, was unequivocal in his rejection. “They told me I was going to play this position, DH. Now they’re going back on that,” he said through translator Daveson Perez, as reported by CBS Boston. “I don’t think they stay true to their word. They told me to put my glove away, and now I think they should do their jobs essentially, and hit the market and look for another player.”
His comments reflect frustration stemming from the offseason, when the Red Sox signed Bregman to a $120 million deal and moved Devers to DH, a decision that sparked initial resistance. Devers, who had been adamant about remaining at third base, relented in March, telling reporters he was willing to do “whatever” the team needed. However, the latest request to switch positions—his second in months—appears to have crossed a line. “I don’t think it’s the best decision after they asked me to play a different position and I only have two months of playing this position,” Devers said, emphasizing the impracticality of learning first base midseason.
Context: A Team in Transition
The Red Sox’s infield has been in flux since Casas’s injury, compounded by other roster challenges. The team’s $120 million signing of Bregman, who has posted a 172 OPS+ with seven homers and 24 RBIs, solidified third base but displaced Devers, a two-time Silver Slugger whose defensive metrics at third had long been scrutinized. The move to DH was intended to preserve Devers’s potent bat—he’s hitting .280 with 10 homers in 2025—while improving infield defense, but it left the team vulnerable at first base, where Casas was a rising star.
With Casas out, the Red Sox lack internal options. Minor league prospects are thin at the position, and manager Alex Cora dismissed the idea of moving Devers to first, stating flatly, “No,” when asked about it. Instead, the team has been linked to trade targets like St. Louis Cardinals’ third baseman Nolan Arenado, which could allow Bregman to shift to first, or free agents to fill the gap. Devers himself suggested the front office “hit the market,” a pointed remark aimed at Breslow, a former Red Sox pitcher in his second year leading baseball operations.
Reactions and Implications
Devers’s stern rebuttal has reverberated across the baseball world. On X, fans and analysts weighed in, with @sportycast quoting Devers’s fiery stance: “They told me to put my glove away. Now they should do their jobs and find someone else.” @SmittyOnMLB reported Devers’s frustration with the front office’s inconsistency, while @gfstarr1 noted that his public discontent signals deeper tensions. Some fans, like those cited by Sporting News, speculate that Devers’s desire to return to third base could fuel trade rumors, especially if Bregman opts out of his contract next year.
Critics of the proposal, including former MLB pitcher Dan Plesac, argue that moving Devers to first base is impractical given his lack of experience there, unlike players like Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who successfully transitioned. Seattle Mariners All-Star Harold Reynolds, however, suggested Devers could adapt, citing Guerrero as an example, though Plesac pushed back, noting Devers’s career-long tenure at third.
The controversy comes at a critical juncture for the Red Sox, who are in the playoff hunt but face mounting pressure to bolster their roster before the July trade deadline. Trade speculation has swirled around other players, including outfielder Ceddanne Rafaela and shortstop Trevor Story, to make room for prospects like Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer. Devers, signed through 2033 on a 10-year, $313.5 million extension, is unlikely to be traded, but his public frustration could strain relations with the front office.
Looking Ahead
Devers’s rejection of the first base switch underscores his commitment to stability after a season of upheaval. His comments place pressure on Breslow to find an external solution, whether through a trade for a player like Arenado or a stopgap free agent. The Red Sox’s ability to address the first base vacancy without further alienating their star slugger will be crucial as they aim to return to the postseason for the first time since 2021.
For now, Devers remains focused on his role as DH, where his bat continues to power the lineup. But his candid rebuke serves as a reminder of his influence and his unwillingness to be pushed into roles he deems unfit. As one X user put it, “Devers isn’t just a star—he’s a guy who knows his worth and won’t let the front office forget it.”
Sources: CBS Boston, Sporting News, Sportskeeda, X posts from @sportycast, @SmittyOnMLB, @gfstarr1, @MLBONFOX, @BRWalkoff