Rafael Devers shows why Red Sox should keep him at DH

Boston Red Sox designated hitter Rafael Devers (11) hits an RBI double in the third inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Peter Aiken-Imagn Images

Rafael Devers shows why Red Sox should consider keeping him at DH

By Clark Dalton | Last updated May 11, 2025 8:46 PM ET

The Boston Red Sox still can't seem to decide where they want Rafael Devers to play this season.

After they signed Alex Bregman in free agency, they moved Devers from third base to designated hitter. Then, when Triston Casas injured the patellar tendon in his left knee, Boston asked the 28-year-old star to mull over a position change again. Unsurprisingly, he wasn't happy about that.

"I know I'm a ballplayer, but at the same time, they can't expect me to play every single position out there," Devers said Thursday, per Christopher Smith of MassLive.com. "In spring training, they talked to me and basically told me to put away my glove — that I wasn't going to play any other position but DH. So right now I just feel like it's not just an appropriate decision by them to ask me to play another position."

Who could blame Devers for not wanting to switch positions again, especially when he's getting the hang of DH after a tumultuous start?

On Sunday, in a road game against the Kansas City Royals. Devers played at DH. He blasted a 440-foot two-run home run into center field in the top of the sixth inning. (Left fielder Jarren Duran scored.)

DEMOLISHED.
DESTROYED.
OBLITERATED.
RAFFY. pic.twitter.com/3sckJgO9uv
— Red Sox (@RedSox) May 11, 2025

The moonshot lifted the Red Sox to a 3-1 victory. Devers finished 2-for-3 at the plate with two RBI.

In 101 at-bats in April, he slashed .267/.387/.515. However, through his first 34 at-bats in May, the slugger had slashed .441/.525/.588.

"If you look at the numbers, he's probably the best DH in the American League right now," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said of Devers in a postgame news conference, per MLB.com's Robert Falkoff.

If he is the best DH in the AL right now, why would the Red Sox have him make another position change? That seems like a nonsensical move.

Instead, Boston should consider keeping him at DH, which may allow him to keep finding his groove.

Clark Dalton

Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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