Boston Red Sox designated hitter Rafael Devers. Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

Watch: Red Sox star takes reps at surprising position at practice

By Steve DelVecchio | Last updated Jun 2, 2025 6:46 PM ET

Rafael Devers has not played the infield at all this season, but could the Boston Red Sox slugger finally be preparing for that possibility?

Probably not, though a new video that surfaced certainly got fans buzzing.

Devers fielded some ground balls during Boston's practice on Monday. There has been talk all year that the designated hitter might temporarily return to his old position at third base or be asked to try playing first, but he was spotted taking reps at shortstop.

Breaking: Rafael Devers broke out the glove today (at shortstop) pic.twitter.com/9aB1uHUD8t
— WEEI (@WEEI) June 2, 2025

In all likelihood, Devers was just having some fun. The 28-year-old was asked to become a full-time DH after the Red Sox signed Gold Glove third baseman Alex Bregman over the winter. Devers was not happy about that, but he has since settled into his new role and is batting .286 with 12 home runs and an MLB-leading 52 RBI.

Bregman is on the injured list with a quad injury, but Devers still has not returned to third base. Some wondered if Devers would play first base after Triston Casas suffered a season-ending injury, and the Red Sox brought the idea up to Devers. To say he reacted negatively would be an understatement.

It is not impossible to imagine Devers playing the infield again at some point this season. What he is not going to do, however, is log any time at shortstop.

Steve DelVecchio

Steve is a veteran writer who has covered a variety of sports and pop culture topics for more than 15 years. In addition to Yardbarker, his work has been featured on prominent digital publications including Larry Brown Sports, MSN and FOX Sports. The UConn graduate has published more than 40,000 stories and is one of the most experienced trending news writers in the country

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