As the Rafael Devers saga continues in Boston, Kansas City Royals second baseman Whit Merrifield has weighed in on the Red Sox slugger's predicament.

The Red Sox bumped Devers from third base to DH this season when the team acquired Alex Bregman, something their star wasn't thrilled about as he entered year two of a 10-year, $313.5 million contract. Now, with first baseman Triston Casas out for the season, Devers is refusing to play first — a spot he has never played in his Major League career.

The situation has gotten so bad that a trade isn't out of the question despite Devers' massive contract and status as the team's star.

Merrifield seems to be taking Boston's side in the matter.

“I think from a player’s perspective it’s fair game that they ask Raffy, ‘hey let’s try to work on first base,'” Merrifield said in an appearance on Foul Territory. “The other layer to it, for me, is Raffy's been paid. He’s going to make his money no matter what.”

Merrifield explained that the circumstances would be different if Devers were a free agent after this year, or if he was still going through arbitration and the Red Sox could use his defensive metrics against him.

“I get that he’s not comfortable over there, he doesn’t want to go try to do it in the middle of the season and embarrass himself with certain plays, and be out of position here and there, and get criticized for that, but when you make the money he’s making, it comes with that territory,” Merrifield added.

Rosenthal: Devers shouldn't pay for Red Sox being ‘negligent'

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The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal is more on Devers' side of the debate. He argues that the Red Sox were well within their right to ask Devers to move to DH in favor of a better third baseman. But the team is paying him to hit, and asking him to learn a new position on the fly isn't fair when his value comes almost entirely at the plate.

“It’s not Devers’ fault the Red Sox were negligent in finding an alternative for first baseman Triston Casas, who missed nearly four months in 2024 with a strained left rib cage,” Rosenthal wrote on Monday.

Devers moving to first, he adds, would “risk injury, offensive regression and embarrassment.”

Devers himself called out the Red Sox front office for the idea last week, igniting the controversy.

“I think they should do their jobs essentially, and hit the market and look for another player,” Devers said. “I’m not sure why they want me to be in between the way they have been.”