Rafael Devers Calls Out Red Sox GM Amid Positional Dispute

Storm clouds are on the horizon in Beantown.
Rafael Devers circles the bases after a home run against the Rangers.
Rafael Devers circles the bases after a home run against the Rangers. / David Butler II-Imagn Images
In this story:

Boston Red Sox designated hitter Rafael Devers would appear, on the surface, to have recovered from a poor start. His .370 on-base percentage is slightly more than his career percentage, and his 23 RBIs put him on pace for just shy of 100.

However, Devers has been vocal about his dismay with his offseason position switch. Long a third baseman, Devers has shifted to designated hitter to accommodate Alex Bregman—and per the three-time All-Star, the Red Sox now want him to move to first base.

On Thursday, he candidly expressed his frustrations with Boston—calling out general manager Craig Breslow in the process.

"I just feel like it's not an appropriate decision by them to ask me to play another position," Devers said, as told by Christopher Smith of MassLive. "It was the GM 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."

Breslow, a reliever for seven teams in a 12-year span from 2005 to '06 and 2008 to '17, has held his current position since Oct. 2023.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding Devers—a franchise cornerstone—the Red Sox are 20-19 and squarely in the thick of the still-developing playoff race.


More MLB on Sports Illustrated

feed


Published
Patrick Andres
PATRICK ANDRES

Patrick Andres is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in December 2022, having worked for The Blade, Athlon Sports, Fear the Sword and Diamond Digest. Andres has covered everything from zero-attendance Big Ten basketball to a seven-overtime college football game. He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism with a double major in history .