The Boston Red Sox drama took another brutal turn when Triston Casas suffered a torn patellar tendon one week ago. The Red Sox had spent all offseason trying to construct their infield, signing Alex Bregman at the 11th hour of free agency and calling up top prospect Kristian Campbell for their Opening Day roster. But Casas’s injury opened up another can of worms as Boston wondered ,“Who’s playing first?”
The Red Sox have turned to Abraham Toro and Romy Gonzalez as their primary first basemen. But many fans saw it as an opening for Rafael Devers to make his long-rumored move across the diamond. As a player who signed a 10-year, $313 million contract in January 2023, going from his desired position of third base to third base would be a way to become the ultimate team player and help Boston contend in the American League East.
Instead, Devers has refused, and his latest comments have him on thin ice with the organization and perhaps Red Sox fans as they scramble to find a first baseman.
Red Sox Should Share Blame for Rafael Devers' First Base Mess
Devers confirmed that the Red Sox asked him to play first base after Thursday’s 5-0 win over the Texas Rangers. But while a lopsided win is usually reserved for celebration, the 28-year-old used it as a time to vent his concerns, going on a rant about moving across the diamond.
“I know I’m a ballplayer, but at the same time, they can’t expect me to play every single position out there,” Devers said through team translator Daveson Perez via Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic. “In spring 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.”
This isn’t the first time Devers has caused a firestorm by refusing to move off his natural position. The Red Sox asked Devers to move from third base to the team’s full-time designated hitter during Spring Training. While he initially refused, a conversation with Alex Cora helped him buy in, and he’s served that role throughout the 2025 season.
“I don’t feel that they stayed true to their word,” Devers continued. “They told me that I was going to be playing this position, DH, and now they’re going back on that. So I just don’t think they stayed true to their word.”
It’s normal for a baseball player to have concerns about moving positions midseason. Minnesota Twins third baseman Royce Lewis caused a firestorm late last season when he voiced concerns about moving to second base amid the team’s late-season collapse and compared it to taking a baby out of a crib.
There’s also a scene in the movie Moneyball where Billy Beane, portrayed by Brad Pitt, tries to convince Scott Hatteberg to play first base for the Oakland Athletics. After telling Hatteberg that playing first base “is not that hard,” Beane turns to third base coach Ron Washington, who informs Hatteberg, “It’s incredibly hard.”
Maybe there’s a bigger plan in place where the Red Sox try to unload Devers and his massive contract. Or Boston is simply trying to maximize what they have on their roster.
But even if the Red Sox share part of the blame for poor communication, it’s Devers who gets the bad rap. The optics of a $300 million player refusing to help the team aren’t great, and even if a Friday meeting with owner John Henry went well, fans may not relent until Devers takes his spot at first base or Boston finds someone else to replace Casas.