Rafael Devers' Latest First Base Quote Is Enraging Red Sox Fans

Two months after he angrily refused to play first base for the Boston Red Sox, Rafael Devers was on the diamond in Atlanta sporting a first base glove for the San Francisco Giants.

In the Giants' 9-0 win over the Braves, Devers made his first career appearance at first base after 942 games started at third base and 122 at designated hitter. He played the game without incident, recording four putouts while going 2-for-5 with a double and RBI at the plate.

It's been well over a month since he was traded and the Red Sox have generally fared better than the Giants over that stretch, but it was hard to imagine Boston fans would receive Devers' willingness to do the thing that he very publicly shunted in Boston with much grace.

And after the game, Devers' comments about his new position really lit the fuse.

"It keeps me active and it keeps my head out of just thinking of the next at-bat,” Devers said, per Rick Farlow of MLB.com. “I’m the kind of player who likes to be active and likes to be on the field. I’d rather be on the field than be in the cage hitting all the time.”

It sure was a stark contrast to Devers' comments on May 8, when he ripped chief baseball officer Craig Breslow for asking him to move off of DH, saying it was far too big an ask for him to learn "another" new position in the middle of the season and questioning Breslow's acumen as a former ballplayer.

Some Red Sox fans might not care about what Devers has to say anymore, but others took to X (formerly Twitter) and let their team's former slugger have it.

"Dude torpedoed his career with the only organization he’s ever known by refusing something he actually wanted to do just to prove a point," wrote Nat Gordon of WEEI.

"I’m sure this will go over well," quipped popular Red Sox social media personality Tyler Milliken.

Devers may be out of sight, out of mind for the players, coaches, and executives in Boston. They've got a playoff chase to worry about.

But from an outside perspective, it's hard not to think back to the younger, smiling version of Devers, who signed with the Red Sox organization at 16 and agreed to spend 11 more years there at 26.

There was surely fault on both sides for the communication breakdown, but had Devers simply agreed to do for the Red Sox what he did for the Giants on Tuesday night, there's no doubt he'd still be in Boston.