It has been a strange few months for the Boston Red Sox. Still three games behind New York in the AL East standings, the Red Sox are toeing a fragile line between underperformance and immense upside. The is plenty of talent on the roster, but rotation injuries and pesky slumps have been difficult to overcome.
At the center of all this strangeness is Rafael Devers. Boston's talented DH, formerly of third base, is on a scorching heater. But he's also at the center of controversy and popping up in trade rumors, all because he does not want to change positions (again).
The Red Sox have floated the idea of moving Devers to first base in the wake of the Triston Casas injury, but Devers — who vehemently opposed a transition from third base to DH initially — does not want to pick up his glove again after the Red Sox told him to put it down. Now he's drawing criticism from a franchise icon.
David Ortiz, a fellow Dominican baseball star who in many ways paved the way for Devers in Boston, asked the 28-year-old to "pack away" his ego.
"When you're the man in the team, when you're the guy the organization counts on, there are times when you have to take your ego and pack it away," Ortiz said.
For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop between now and the MLB offseason.
David Ortiz delivers stern message to Rafael Devers amid Red Sox drama
This feels like a resonant message given the timing and the source. Only time will tell if Devers heeds Big Papi's advice, but the Red Sox need to break this cycle of tabloid speculation. That Devers' future is now under the microscope is a total failure not only on his part, but on the front office.
Replacing Devers at third base was the right baseball decision. Alex Bregman is a better defender by a country mile. But, Boston once upon a time promised Devers a full-time gig at the hot corner when he inked a historic 13-year, $330 million extension. That the front office did not forecast his position change before adding Bregman was a catastrophic misstep. Devers was completely blindsided at spring training and it's fair to criticize Craig Breslow and Alex Cora for letting that happen.
Now, the Casas injury has added a new layer of animosity. The Red Sox clearly want Devers to switch to first, at least in the short term. It makes sense, not only as a replacement option for Casas, but to get their most valuable player back in the field — even if it's at a lower-stakes position. But, after already coming to terms with one sudden positional shift, Devers has made it clear he does not want to change his approach again. That is fair, but it's a bit silly.
At the end of the day, Devers was only booted to DH because he's the worst defensive third baseman in MLB. Like, it's his own fault for displaying zero growth with his glove. Now he has a chance to prove his mettle and flash his leather again, but he's being stubborn. His ego is, in fact, getting in the way.
Oritz has the right read on the situation. Hopefully, for Devers' sake and for Boston fans everywhere, things come to an amicable conclusion before long. This team has a ton of talent and a real path to the World Series, but it starts with blocking out distractions and getting everyone on the same page.