The Boston Red Sox and All-Star hitter Rafael Devers have made plenty of MLB news this season regarding what position the 28-year-old will play. After constant back-and-forth, it appears a final decision has been made for the team’s plan for the remainder of the season.
According to Sean McAdam and Christ Cotillo of MassLive.com, the Red Sox are moving forward with the belief that Devers will not play the field defensively for the remainder of the 2025 MLB season.
“Though manager Alex Cora has publicly left the door open for Devers to eventually start getting reps at first base this summer, privately, team officials remain very pessimistic about the chances of Devers taking the field at either corner. This week, one official expressed with some certitude that the experiment would not be happening.”
Chris Cotillo and Sean McAdam on whether or not Boston Red Sox DH Rafael Devers will play the field in 2025
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- Rafael Devers stats (ESPN): .291/.413/.523, .935 OPS, 12 home runs, 15 doubles, 52 RBI in 220 ABs
Devers expected to play third base in Boston this season until the club signed Gold Glove Award winner Alex Bregman. He voiced his displeasure with the decision, but relented with the team seemingly telling him that he wouldn’t play the field this season.
Then, first baseman Triston Casas suffered a ruptured left patellar tendon on May 2. With Casas lost for the season, club officials went back to Devers and asked him to play first base. Devers rejected the proposal, prompting owner John Henry and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow to fly in and meet with him.
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- Rafael Devers contract (Spotrac): $27 million annual salary (2025-’26), $28.5 million annual salary from 2027-2033
Boston’s acceptance of Devers staying at designated hitter might have something to do with his production at the plate. Entering MLB games today, Devers has a 1.064 OPS with 11 home runs, 43 RBI and a .324/.450/.614 triple-slash line in his last 180 plate appearances.
Making Devers learn a new position could not only hurt the team defensively, but it might also lead to a reduction in Devers’ offensive production. For now, the Red Sox will roll with short-term solutions at first base, but it is a position they’ll look to address at the MLB trade deadline in July.
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