There’s nothing easy about where the Boston Red Sox and Rafael Devers stand on the topic of first base.
Boston still needs a solution at first base with Triston Casas out for the season, though Alex Cora remains adamant about giving the initial platoon of Romy Gonzalez and Abraham Toro a fair chance to play. Even with those statements, there’s one narrative that has surrounded first base in recent days.
Rafael Devers already moved one position recently when he became the designated hitter after the signing of Alex Bregman to play third base. That shift took plenty of time and dialogue, internally and through the media, with Devers arriving at where we are now.
This time around, Craig Breslow reportedly brought the first base idea to Devers, who did not feel the same toward the Red Sox this time around.
Now, the previous timeline that led Devers to designated hitter is important to remember here in this Red Sox saga.
The Red Sox said all offseason long that Devers was the third baseman. That was true because Bregman wasn’t on the roster yet. Then came the narrative where Devers would still play third base with Bregman at second. That obviously never became the case. Wording and direction obviously change with roster construction.
Boston maintained that Devers played third base. Bregman changed that, and Devers finally made the transition to DH. Devers spoke to the media during spring training and adamantly declared that he would not move off third base. A few days later, his stance softened, and he offered that he wanted to do what it takes to win.
Devers didn’t mix words in his stance Wednesday, but the Red Sox have seen tension-filled possibilities settle down and solve themselves within the roster. Maybe that happens again, maybe it doesn’t. The Red Sox had a conversation they probably needed to have, though exploring external first base additions should totally be on their radar to keep a contending team on the field.