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Red Sox Skipper Alex Cora Makes Rafael Devers Admission After Kristian Campbell News

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jon Conahan | Last updated May 17, 2025 2:15 PM ET

The Boston Red Sox asking Kristian Campbell to get reps at first base prior to their game on Friday might be a calculated move.

Not only does that send a message to the rest of the organization that they're doing whatever it takes to win at the highest level, but it seems like it was a direct shot to Rafael Devers.

Despite that, skipper Alex Cora told reporters, including Tim Crowley of NESN, that it didn't have anything to do with him. The Red Sox are simply looking to get creative and trying to find a solution to this issue, and it doesn't have to do with Devers.

“That doesn’t have to do with Raffy,” Cora said.

Crowley later added that allowing Campbell or Devers to play first base would help the organization in the short and long term. He believes that it’d open up roster flexibility for the Red Sox, and that's exactly what the team needs as they're playing average baseball.

"Boston clearly needs a spark and they have internal ways to do that. Putting Campbell or Devers at first base in the near future opens up plenty of roster flexibility for the Red Sox. Those moves can maximize the lineup and allow the ballclub to turn the corner from a .500 start after three full seasons of such play."

For more reasons than one, it's very questionable why Devers doesn't want to help his team out.

Sure, he might feel a certain way about the decision to sign Alex Bregman, but the reality is, he's a brutal defender.

The Red Sox would be a better team if he played first base and had Bregman at third, but for all his reasons, he won't bite.

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

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