The Boston Red Sox have come up short of expectations this season and it’s made Rafael Devers one of the team’s most polarizing players.
Devers made headlines when he initially declined to serve as the Red Sox's designated hitter during Spring Training but was eventually talked into the role by manager Alex Cora. The 28-year-old’s reputation took another hit earlier this month when he refused to move to first base in the wake of Triston Casas' season-ending knee injury, shifting the narrative to Devers’s refusal to put the team ahead of himself.
It’s been an unorthodox journey for one of the biggest stars on the roster, but Devers suddenly has a shot at a redemption story thanks to an injury that popped up on Friday afternoon.
Alex Bregman’s Injury Opens Door for Rafael Devers to Return to Third Base
The Red Sox were dealt some more bad injury news when Alex Bregman left Friday’s game against the Baltimore Orioles with right quad tightness. The injury occurred when Bregman hit a single off the Green Monster in the bottom of the fifth inning and made a hard turn around first base.
After returning to the bag, Bregman signaled to the dugout to be taken out of the game and was replaced by Abraham Toro.
The extent of the injury is unknown at the time of writing, but there’s a possibility that Bregman could miss extended time. If that’s the case, a potential absence leaves third base open, giving Devers the role he wanted all along.
Devers has insisted that third base is his natural position, dating back to the Red Sox’s offseason pursuit of Bregman. First base wasn't an option at the time, leading to the team telling Devers to “put away his glove” when he arrived in Fort Myers, FL, resulting in his current status as a full-time DH.
Devers’s story took another turn when Casas was out for the season and the Red Sox asked him to be his replacement at first base, a request that Devers refused.
“I know I’m a ballplayer,” Devers said via translator, relayed by Alex Speier of The Boston Globe on May 8. “But at the same time, they can’t expect me to play every single position out there. In break training, they talked to me and basically told me to put away my glove, that I wasn’t going to play any other position but DH. So right now, I just feel like it’s not an appropriate decision by them to ask me to play another position.”
At that moment, Red Sox fans labeled Devers as selfish even if the front office had royally screwed things up. But what’s different about this situation is that third base is where he’s wanted to play and could be open if Bregman misses time, whether that's a couple of games or a few weeks.
An extended absence would be a big problem as Bregman is hitting .299/.385/.553 with 11 home runs and 35 RBI in 51 games this season. Fortunately, Devers seemed to be energized by Friday's developing situation, going 4-for-6 with two homers and eight RBI in the opening game of Friday’s doubleheader.
If Devers dusts off the glove to return to first base, he has the chance to come out of the drama looking like a team player and could earn more points when he steps aside for Bregman’s return.