Despite his offseason position change, Boston Red Sox designated hitter Rafael Devers still takes ground balls to warm up before games.
Devers was openly reluctant to move off third base after the Red Sox signed Alex Bregman, and the team just as loudly told him his resistance was futile. Bregman has started all but one of Boston's 20 games at third base, and when he was moved to the paternity list on April 16, Boston did not turn to its former, eight-year third baseman to start in his place.
The Red Sox summoned Nick Sogard to fill Bregman's roster spot and Romy González got the start at the hot corner. Devers is clearly still ready and willing to play the field, but chief baseball officer Craig Breslow explained why the Red Sox are unlikely to use him there in a recent appearance on WEEI's "The Greg Hill Show."
"Raffy is obviously going through a transition in terms of his role and we want to make sure that we're doing everything we possibly can to make that transition as easy as possible, and sometimes adding things to one's plate can make it a little bit more complicated," Breslow said.
Why didn't Devers play 3rd when Bregman couldn't play? #Redsox CBO Craig Breslow joins! When could we see RP Liam Hendriks return? #MLB @WEEI pic.twitter.com/1vdV5n2h2M
— The Greg Hill Show (@TheGregHillShow) April 17, 2025
Breslow also mentioned the need for González and David Hamilton to get reps in the field, but the primary reason for not using Devers at third base seems to be that his transition to DH is permanent. Red Sox manager Alex Cora also appeared on WEEI after Bregman was placed on the paternity list and gave similar answers when asked if Devers would appear at third base.
"No, no, no, no, Raffy is going to DH, Cora said. "Unless there's an emergency, we'll use him in the field, but the plan is for him to DH."
Recent comments from Craig Breslow, Alex Cora reinforce the permanence of Rafael Devers' move to DH
The Red Sox's handling of Devers' position change has been curious from the jump. He seemed totally blindsided by the team's decision to move him despite its high-profile pursuits of Bregman and Nolan Arenado over the winter. Boston also seemingly has little interest in preserving Devers' athleticism or skillset at third base, which suggests they plan to go a different direction there in the future. Bregman only signed a three-year deal with the Red Sox and he can opt out as soon as this winter — he's making so much money that that probably won't happen, but Devers, fresh off the best defensive season of his career, seems like the right backup plan.
Besides their refusal to play Devers at third base in Bregman's absence, the Sox have given a few other indicators that he may never take the field there again. Marcelo Mayer and Vaughn Grissom have taken reps at third base in Triple-A this season, which the Red Sox may see as a quicker path to the big leagues with Devers out of the infield picture.
Devers hasn't looked fully comfortable in the DH role yet, and he's only batting .227/.337/.347 with 28 strikeouts over 20 games. Hopefully, he can get comfortable in his new role soon, because it doesn't sound like he'll be returning to the infield for Boston.