After Rafael Devers Refuses To Switch To First Base, Owner John Henry Flies In To Meet With Him

It’s the second time the Boston Red Sox have asked three-time All-Star Rafael Devers to switch positions in the past year. And Devers has every reason to be hesitant.

Following a big swing this past offseason to sign Gold Glove-winning third baseman Alex Bregman away from the Houston Astros, the Red Sox asked Devers to vacate his traditional spot at third base. He agreed to become a designated hitter. Then, under two months into the 2025 season, first baseman Triston Casas ruptured a patellar tendon. The Sox once again asked Devers to step up – but this time, they wanted him to play a position he had never played: first base.

The move makes sense mechanically. With Devers in place at first, the Red Sox would be free to select designated hitters from the rest of their offensive talent, likely bringing in Masataka Yoshida. But Devers rejected the idea, and can you blame him?

After getting off to a slow start, Devers is batting .285, with 31 RBI and a .901 OPS, all solid numbers. He’s been vital to Boston’s offensive game, and a position swap has the potential to endanger that offense and risk injury. First base isn’t a position that can be learned in a couple hours. It takes time and engagement – difficult, during the season – and carries substantial risk.

Devers expressed his frustration last week in a chat with Christopher Smith of MassLive.

“I just feel like it’s not an appropriate decision by them to ask me to play another position,” he said. “It was the GM [Craig Breslow] that I spoke with. I’m not sure what he has with me. He played ball, and I would like to think he knows that changing positions like that isn’t easy.”

The tension got so dire that Red Sox owner John Henry flew to Kansas City to personally speak to Devers. Breslow called the discussion “an honest conversation about what we value as an organization and what we believe is important to the Boston Red Sox.”

Devers is continuing to hold strong in his refusal, and in the meantime, the story has ballooned. While he’s in just the second year of his 10-year, $315 million contract, analysts have speculated that Devers may be traded for his response, and plenty of fans have called him out for being selfish or disloyal to the team.

The more likely option is for Devers to acquiesce and move to first base. And then what?

Devers publicly criticized Boston’s management for not upgrading the roster last offseason. They did the same this offseason, ignoring their lack of first-base depth, and it’s costing them now. If Devers moves and he’s fine, that’s great. But if he gives in, becomes the ardent ‘team player,’ and plays bad defense at first base, what can the Red Sox do?

That’s the risk both sides are considering: that the switch won’t happen or that it won’t work out. And the Red Sox have already had to confront the risk of alienating their star player. It’s become a reality.

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Article by Katherine Manz