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San Francisco Giants slugger Rafael Devers and the Boston Red Sox each have enough to worry about without dwelling on their high-profile MLB divorce, but they remain entangled from a narrative standpoint. His first career start at first base and subsequent remarks are shining the light back on the shocking mid-June trade. Here we go again.
After going 2-for-5 with an RBI and playing error-free defense in Tuesday's 9-0 victory versus the Atlanta Braves, Devers shared how much he enjoys being in the infield. His words are sure to cut Red Sox nation deep.
“It keeps me active,” he said, per the San Francisco Chronicle's Shayna Rubin. “It keeps my head out of just thinking about the next at-bat…I’d rather be on the field than in the cage hitting all the time and thinking about the next at-bat.”
Revisiting the Rafael Devers-Red Sox drama
The three-time All-Star spent six and a half years at third base before Boston asked him to move off the position for the incoming Alex Bregman, who won a Gold Glove in 2024. Devers begrudgingly switched to designated hitter, but when first baseman Triston Casas devastatingly ruptured his left patellar tendon in May, management asked him to return to the diamond. He refused, publicly calling out the Sox for asking him to learn a new position after he said they told him to “basically put his glove away.”
Chaos ensued, as Boston became a media feeding frenzy for all the wrong reasons. Team owner John Henry came to personally meet with Devers following the fiasco, and business went on as usual. The 28-year-old settled into his new DH role after a horrid start to the season and eventually amassed a stellar .905 OPS. Despite all the tension and disgruntlement, he was performing at a remarkable level. Though, with eight years still left on his $300-plus million contract, and hard feelings obviously forming, Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow decided to ship him out to the Giants.
Devers posted a .272 batting average, 15 home runs, a .401 on-base percentage and .504 slugging percentage in 73 games with Boston this year. He certainly did not seem distracted in the batter's box, so his latest comments about feeling more comfortable when playing a position are bound to produce scoffs all throughout Jersey Street. Furthermore, Breslow gave him a chance to put on a glove again and man first base.
Devers, perhaps still hurting from the Bregman blindside, did not accommodate his then-club. He was reportedly against the idea of filling in at first on a temporary basis and getting thrown into another adjustment period. When Devers landed in the Bay Area, many predicted he would change his tune.
Sure enough, the two-time Silver Slugger took grounders at first base just days after joining the Giants. He made it official on Tuesday night.
Can Devers come alive with Giants?
Red Sox fans will label him a villain, while others skewer Boston brass for not being direct with the face of the franchise. Both sides mishandled the situation. The only thing to do now is move forward.
But that becomes harder to do when Rafael Devers expresses thoughts that may offend those who cheered him on for much of the last decade. He clearly likes to speak his mind, however. Fresh off a six-game losing streak, the Giants just want him to smash baseballs and hold his own in the field when given the opportunity.
Devers is now batting .227 with two home runs and a .681 OPS with San Francisco. Perhaps this new challenge will give him the boost he needs to return to his old self.
