Red Sox Have 'Clear Solution' To Rafael Devers 1B Problem, Per Insider

Break out the first-base mitt?

May 8, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox designated hitter Rafael Devers (11) hits a home run against the Texas Rangers in the seventh inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

The Boston Red Sox are trying everything they can to get on the same page as Rafael Devers.

It's been a drama-filled season so far for Devers, who is in his ninth year with the big-league club and his first at any position besides third base. There was tension during spring training when the team moved him off third to accommodate Alex Bregman, and there's tension again now that they have another request.

In light of Triston Casas' season-ending knee injury, Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow asked Devers to move to first base. Devers refused to do so in his first public comments since Casas' injury on Thursday, and Red Sox principal owner John Henry and CEO Sam Kennedy flew to Kansas City to meet with Devers about the situation on Friday.

This story isn't going away anytime soon, or at least until the Red Sox decide there's a definitive solution. And one insider believes that solution has already become obvious.

On Saturday, MassLive's Chris Cotillo wrote that it was "clear" that the Red Sox still want Devers to play first base, and while they're trying to get on the same page with him now, the club is likely to continue operating with that goal in mind.

"It was a clear sign that the Red Sox are taking their rift with their star player seriously — and it wasn’t a coincidence Breslow repeatedly emphasized the importance of being a good teammate when explaining what necessitated the meeting," Cotillo wrote of the Henry-Kennedy meeting.

"Still, though, it‘s clear the Red Sox think Devers is the long-term solution. The sooner he starts taking grounders at the position, the sooner he might be able to play it in a game... And somewhat fascinatingly, Breslow repeatedly — and adamantly — said Friday afternoon that where Devers would be playing is not nearly as important as making sure the sides were on better terms."

There's every reason to think Devers could eventually handle the transition. But it's far more important, at least for now, to keep the clubhouse from tailspinning into factions over a complicated, yet pressing issue.

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