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Boston Red Sox infielder Rafael Devers. Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Latest Red Sox misstep with Rafael Devers continues concerning trend

By Colin Cerniglia | Last updated May 11, 2025 9:55 AM ET

Rafael Devers did what stars are told to do: commit to the franchise, buy into the vision, take the money and lead. Two years later, the Boston Red Sox are asking him to shift positions midseason with little clarity or communication. Again.

This isn’t just about first base. It’s about first principles.

After Triston Casas went down with a ruptured left patellar tendon in his knee, the team floated the idea of Devers sliding across the diamond to help fill the void.

According to multiple reports, Devers wasn’t thrilled. Nor should he be. He wasn’t told directly. He wasn’t given time to prepare. He was asked, then quickly blamed when he balked.

“He knows how to cancel the noise,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said, per Robert Falkoff of MLB.com. “The last few days have been a lot. But at the end of the day, like he says, ‘Play baseball.’ At 7:05, 6:10 or whenever the game is, he’s ready to go.”

What exactly is Cora getting at? Is he complimenting Devers or slipping in a jab? For a manager who ranks as one of the top in the game, it’s strange to see him dance around the issue like this.

It's not like Devers wasn’t refusing to help the team. He was reacting like any player who'd signed a $313.5 million deal to anchor a franchise only to be treated like a plug-and-play option likely would.

It’s a pattern Boston can’t seem to shake. Mookie Betts was traded. Xander Bogaerts was lowballed. Jon Lester was offered a hometown discount that felt more like an insult.

Time and again, the Red Sox have shown they value flexibility and future payroll space more than the people producing on the field.

Devers, now 28, was supposed to be different. He stayed. He smiled through losing seasons and last-place finishes. He became, by tenure and presence, the face of the franchise.

But even faces need to be shown respect. Instead, the front office dropped this request through back channels. The tension was so real that ownership and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow flew to Kansas City Friday to meet with Devers.

That doesn’t happen over a lineup tweak. That happens when a cultural fracture threatens to split the clubhouse.

After going 4-4 on Saturday, Devers is hitting .408 over the last 14 games. He’s one of the few consistent bats left.

The Red Sox have been stuck around .500 all season. This isn’t a situation where everyone’s thriving and a star is refusing to adapt. This is a team searching for a plan, leaning on its most important player to patch another hole while also blaming him for flinching.

And if that feels familiar, it should. Plenty of workers in corporate America know what it’s like to “own” a role, only to watch it change with no input. Devers is learning the same thing—except under the lights of Fenway, with microphones in his face.

This isn’t just a clubhouse story. It’s a cultural one.

The Red Sox have struggled to build an identity since 2018. That year, they had talent, swagger and a clear sense of direction. Since then, the message has been muddled. Are they rebuilding? Competing? Clearing the books?

Whatever the answer, you don’t build around a player by blindsiding him.

If Devers is supposed to be the guy, then treat him like it. Treat him like a partner, not an afterthought. Because at some point, when you keep asking your cornerstones to adjust without warning, you stop laying a foundation and start stacking rubble.

Colin Cerniglia

Colin Cerniglia is an Amazon bestselling author, co-host of the "2 Jocks and a Schlub" podcast from Blue Wire, and a contributor to The Charlotte Observer. With a deep passion for baseball and college football, he offers extensive knowledge and enthusiasm to his writing. Colin resides in Charlotte, NC, with his wife and two daughters

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