Rafael Devers still has not made his spring training debut for the Boston Red Sox. He told manager Alex Cora he didn't feel ready for live batting practice, but MLB Network analyst Jon Morosi recently proposed that perhaps Devers was holding off due to the rather complicated situation the Red Sox have at third base.
On the March 5 episode of MLB Network's "Hot Stove," Morosi noted that Alex Bregman has gotten a lot of reps at third base so far in spring training while prospect Kristian Campbell has been working at second. Meanwhile, Harold Reynolds pointed out that it would be difficult for Bregman to adjust to playing second base, where he's projected to start, if he doesn't get any practice there in the spring.
Morosi also said that he predicts Bregman will play third, given that he's been playing there in spring training, he's won a Gold Glove at the position and the Sox haven't announced he'll play elsewhere. That would certainly put him in conflict with Devers, who has said that "Third base is my position. It's what I play."
.@jonmorosi joins #MLBNHotStove to discuss Rafael Devers pushing back his Spring Training debut and the outlook of the Red Sox infield. pic.twitter.com/J1rY5fpqyD
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) March 5, 2025
Whether there's some drama behind Devers' decision to delay his start date is unclear — he might just not be fully healthy yet. But what is certain is that the Sox have a quandary in the infield, especially with guys like Campbell and Marcelo Mayer knocking on the door of the big leagues.
Devers can't move to first because Triston Casas is already there, and he can't DH since that's Masataka Yoshida's job. But at the same time, it's hard to justify keeping him at third base given his defensive struggles and the fact that they now have a Gold Glove-caliber defender to fill that role.
Morosi hinted the a likelihood of a trade to alleviate this problem, although he did say he didn't think it would happen this spring. Yoshida has proven an especially hard sell given his contract, and the Sox won't move on from Devers, their franchise player, so Casas is the most likely candidate. He's been the subject of near-constant trade rumors this offseason, and that's only accelerated now that the Sox have a logjam in the infield.