Apr 6, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox designated hitter Rafael Devers (11) reacts to his RBI double against the St. Louis Cardinals during the sixth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images Eric Canha-Imagn Images
It's already been a long year for Rafael Devers, and it's only May 5.
Devers, who is in year two of a 10-year extension he signed to stay in Boston for the vast majority of his career, was moved off his preferred position of third base to make way for the arrival of Gold Glover Alex Bregman.
Though it certainly appeared Devers' pride was hurt initially, he's moved on and embraced his new role, at least publicly. But the heartbreaking injury to first baseman Triston Casas introduced a new wrinkle to the situation.
There was speculation in the offseason that Casas could be traded and Devers could shift to first base. Now that Casas is out of the picture, that speculation has picked up again, even after manager Alex Cora insisted that Devers was his DH.
If it feels strange that no one has heard from Devers on the subject since Casas went down on Friday night, it's because the slugger doesn't want to talk. On Sunday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive reported that Devers had turned down three recent interview requests from beat reporters.
"FWIW: Devers does not want to talk about this for whatever reason. He has declined interview requests from the beat three times in the last 36 hours knowing what the line of questioning is going to be," Cotillo wrote.
"It’s his right, not a big deal and Cora’s comments have said it all, but an interesting detail. I don’t know how he feels about it, obviously, but wouldn’t blame him one iota if he is thinking 'you took me off the field, and that’s that' now."
After the position change and two highly publicized slumps, Devers has rebounded to find his groove of late. He's got a 1.214 OPS in the team's last nine games, raising his season OPS+ to 128, which is one point above his career average.
Romy González has started both games at first base since Casas went down. The team also recalled switch-hitter Abraham Toro from Triple-A.
