The situation between Rafael Devers and the Boston Red Sox front office escalated on Friday evening in Kansas City. John Henry, Sam Kennedy and Craig Breslow flew out to meet with Devers ahead of Boston's upcoming series against the Royals, reported by Chris Cotillo of MassLive.
Multiple reports state that Devers had a 1-on-1 conversation with team owner Henry. Breslow called the conversations "productive," but the nature of the discussions has not been revealed.
Boston media interviewed Breslow on NESN after the meetings and he emphasized the importance of being a good teammate. Alex Cora also spoke to reporters and said conversations between Devers and management are still ongoing — whether that means the Red Sox are orchestrating a potential trade or trying to convince Devers to move to first base is still unknown.
Neither Devers nor Red Sox management handled any of his position changes well this year. The front office repeatedly misled Devers about its plans to sign or trade for another third baseman over the offseason, which Devers still seems upset about. Cora also attested multiple times that Devers would not take the field in any position in 2025, but Boston turned to him as an option at first base not even two months later.
Red Sox owner John Henry, president Sam Kennedy fly to Kansas City to meet with Rafael Devers after his controversial comments from May 8
Breslow just talked for a few minutes. Said Henry believes it was a productive conversation with Devers but didn’t get much into what’s next. https://t.co/J0erAEjSkZ
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) May 9, 2025
Devers dodged interviews with Red Sox media for days after Casas' injury, and the way he told the story of his conversations with Breslow was far from graceful. Henry's involvement in the conflict is particularly concerning, since he keeps a relatively low profile and tends to avoid media attention himself.
Always a good sign when your owner has to fly to a road stadium to explain to his GM, manager and franchise cornerstone what their jobs are
— Céad Míle Fáilte (@ColeyMick) May 9, 2025
Devers is the Red Sox's longest-tenured player and the only one remaining from the 2018 World Series-winning team, and hearing him criticize the club so publicly was alarming. Hopefully, he and Henry discussed a path forward that will keep him with the organization.
It didn't take long for Devers to change his mind after his initial refusal to DH during spring training. Maybe an "honest" conversation with ownership will be all he needs to realize that a move to first base is best for the team.