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Alex Cora Reveals Reason for Red Sox Not Playing Rafael Devers at Third Base

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jon Conahan | Last updated May 26, 2025 3:50 PM ET

Marcelo Mayer is finally here, an exciting time for the Boston Red Sox and the fan base. Unfortunately, it had to come at the expense of Alex Bregman getting injured, which could be a two-month absence, according to recent reports.

However, with Mayer playing Third Base, the Red Sox should find some success. At the worst, they might struggle a bit due to him being as young as he is, but if he can be anything like he is expected to be, the Red Sox should be able to keep pace. For now, that's what they need to do.

While calling him up was the right decision, some questioned whether the Red Sox could’ve played Rafael Devers at third.

After Devers’ comments throughout the past few months, it didn't seem like he wanted to play there. It's uncertain if he does, but skipper Alex Cora admitted that the Red Sox’s decision with Devers in the offseason is what they're sticking with, and that was evident after they called up Mayer.

“Raffy hit as a third baseman, so this is nothing new for us,” Cora said, per MassLive. “We made a decision in the offseason, right? And this is where we’re going. There were a few things we took into consideration. I think we’ve been very consistent with it. I’m not going to react to the outside world because people think that that’s the right move. Maybe it’s not. Maybe we’re doing it right. Maybe we’re doing it wrong. I don’t know...

"He’s going to win a Silver Slugger as a DH. Where we’re at right now — this is where we’re going. We made a decision and we’ll continue to talk. I’m not saying we’re going to close the door and all that. But we feel very comfortable with Raffy Devers as the DH.”

It's uncertain how Devers feels about this, but he seems content being a designated hitter when asked to play first base.

Hopefully, the superstar isn't too upset.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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