Defiant Rafael Devers Publicly Refuses Red Sox's Request To Move To 1st Base

Rafael Devers has already moved positions at the behest of the Boston Red Sox once this season. It seems he's ill-inclined to do it again.

Devers has been the designated hitter this season after playing his entire eight-year career beforehand at third base. But with first baseman Triston Casas out for the season with a torn patellar tendon, many thought the 28-year-old Devers would be able to make the transition to first base smoothly enough to help the team out.

Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow was one of those people, apparently. Speaking publicly for the first time since Casas' injury, Devers said Thursday that Breslow had approached him about a potential move to first base.

“They had the conversation with me,” Devers said through translator Daveson Perez, per Christopher Smith of MassLive. “I don’t think me personally it’s the best decision after they asked me to play a different position and I only have two months of playing this position. To all of a sudden have me try to play another position — so from my end, it doesn’t seem like a good decision."

“It was the GM that I spoke with. I’m not sure what he has with me. He played ball and I would like to think he knows that changing positions like that isn’t easy.”

Devers didn't stop there. He laid down the gauntlet to Breslow and the front office, telling them to go out and find someone to do the job he didn't feel was reasonable to ask of him.

"Now I think they should do their job essentially and hit the market and look for another player. I'm not sure why they want me to be in between the way they have me now," Devers said, per Smith.

Devers also said he was upset by the Red Sox going back on their word, though it's obvious to a neutral observer how the situation has changed with Casas injured.

“Yeah. I don’t think they stay true to their word. They told me I was going to be playing this position, DH. And now they are going back on that. So yeah, I don’t think they stay true to their word."

At this point, the Red Sox are truly in a pickle. It's probably the best thing for the team on the field to have Devers play first base. But they can't force him to put a glove on his hand and walk out there and do it.

At the same time, one can imagine a teammate, or several, might be exasperated by the team's highest-paid player ever being unwilling to consider a change that would benefit the team. It feels as though this saga could just be beginning once again.