Inside The Red Sox

Red Sox-Rafael Devers Fight Takes Surprise Turn With John Henry

The Red Sox have had a long week...
Apr 27, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Boston Red Sox left fielder Jarren Duran (16) puts the Wally the Green Monster head on designated hitter Rafael Devers (11) after Devers hit a home run during the sixth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
Apr 27, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Boston Red Sox left fielder Jarren Duran (16) puts the Wally the Green Monster head on designated hitter Rafael Devers (11) after Devers hit a home run during the sixth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

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The Boston Red Sox have had a weird end to the week.

Boston dropped the first game of a three-game set against the Kansas City Royals on Friday night in extra innings. That’s not the worst part of the week by any means, though.

Rafael Devers made it clear that he doesn’t want to shift over and play first base. He made specific comments about chief baseball officer Craig Breslow. Things haven’t been pretty, and they took an immediate turn with this week with Breslow, Sam Kennedy, and even John Henry flying in to meet with Devers on Friday, as shared by MassLive.com's Chris Cotillo.

"Red Sox principal owner John Henry, president/CEO Sam Kennedy and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow don’t usually appear, all together, at random May road games," Cotillo said. "On Friday, though, they made sure they were seen.

"One day after slugger Rafael Devers expressed an unwillingness to move to first base and ripped Breslow in a media session, Henry, Kennedy and Breslow took an unplanned trip to the Midwest to try to clear the air with him. Before the Sox’ series opener against the Royals at Kauffman Stadium, the trio of Henry, Devers and manager Alex Cora met in the manager’s office. The events of the day delayed Cora’s pregame availability by more than an hour."

Breslow talked about the meeting, also shared by Cotillo.

"There were conversations. John, Sam and I flew out earlier today," Breslow said as shared by Cotillo. "It was actually John who spoke directly with Raffy. We felt like it was important based on the situation that unfolded yesterday to come out here and have an honest conversation about what we value as an organization and what we believe is important to the Boston Red Sox. That being great teammates for each other."

So, what now? It's pretty clear that there are some pretty strong feelings at work here. There isn't an answer in sight, though.

More MLB: Rafael Devers' Drama Could Open Door For Red Sox Top Prospect


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Patrick McAvoy
PATRICK MCAVOY

Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sports coverage at the New England Sports Network with a focus on baseball and basketball. Outside of journalism, Patrick received an MBA at Brandeis University. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Boston Red Sox On SI, please reach out to Scott Neville: scottneville21@gmail.com

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