Rafael Devers is the face of the Boston Red Sox franchise (whether he wants to be or not) and the last member of the 2018 World Series-winning squad that remains on the team. He became a polarizing player after he was reluctant to move off third base to be Boston's designated hitter, and when he later refused to move to first base after Triston Casas' season-ending injury.
So it came as a shock to many Red Sox fans to see a clip, originally posted by Rob Bradford of WEEI, of Devers taking grounders in the infield before the Sox's May 2-4 series against the Angels at Fenway Park. Devers hadn't taken grounders in pregame warmups since Boston's April 29-May 1 series in Toronto.
The news of Devers' defensive practice was also a surprise to Red Sox manager Alex Cora. Alex Speier of The Boston Globe asked the skipper about Devers taking grounders, to which he responded: "I had no idea (that was happening)."
Cora's response suggests Devers isn't taking grounders to get back into the action on the field. He donned a noticeably small glove for the workout, which could point to the whole thing being a joke, or that Devers is nowhere close to taking the field again in a game.
The DH was also taking grounders at shortstop rather than either of the positions he'd be asked to play — first or third base. That and Cora's response suggest that Devers could've taken grounders just for fun, as he did at the beginning of the season, as part of his pregame warmup.
There could be benefits to Devers taking the field again in games, though. If he moves to first base, where he has a much better chance of finding defensive success, it would open Boston's DH spot to potentially add Masataka Yoshida back to the lineup. Yoshida has been one of the Red Sox's most consistent hitters in his first two seasons with the team. He's posted a .285/.343/.433 slash line with 131 strikeouts and 61 walks over his 248 games in a Red Sox uniform, and he could make Boston's lineup much longer. He's also owed $18.6 million this year and he hasn't played one game, despite being able to swing a bat.
Even Alex Cora was surprised to see Rafael Devers taking grounders before Red Sox's series against Angels
There's also a valid argument for keeping Devers as the Sox's DH. He began the season on a disastrous 0-for-19 streak at the plate, but now leads MLB (along with Seiya Suzuki) with 52 RBI and leads the American League with 47 walks. He's slashing .357/.467/.616 in his last 30 games, and changing his position again could throw his routine out of balance.
Whether Devers took grounders at shortstop seriously or not, it could be a signal of change in Boston. The positives of Devers moving to first base outweigh the negatives — returning to the field could help him stay in shape and open up a roster spot for Yoshida or even Roman Anthony, and there's no guarantee he'll hit another slump if he changes positions.
The Red Sox's recent struggles, which include a five-game losing streak and their worst record of the year, could have inspired them to set a lineup change into motion. Or Devers picked up an extra glove and took the field to tease us all, including his manager.