Rafael Devers is making some changes as he readies for the next stop in his big-league career.
The newly-minted Giants slugger drew the ire of Red Sox management for his unwillingness to change positions. That rancor appeared to inspire Devers’ high-profile exit from the organization he spent each of his first nine seasons with. On Sunday, Boston sent the three-time All-Star to San Francisco in exchange for four prospects.
Devers had his introductory Giants press conference on Tuesday. In his wide-ranging discussion with media members, he revealed, among other things, that he was open to contributing to his new side in any way he can — even if that means fielding a position he’s never played before.
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Here’s what you need to know.
What position will Rafael Devers play with Giants?
Devers will offer his services at both first base and designated hitter, Giants manager Bob Melvin told reporters during Devers’ introductory presser on Tuesday.
The longtime third baseman expressed frustration over Alex Bregman’s arrival and Boston’s insistence on moving him to first base after Triston Casas went down with a season-ending injury. That tension, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported, precipitated his shock departure from Beantown.
Devers was born and bred as a third baseman. With the exception of a sizzling 2019 season (18 Outs Above Average), he’s ranked as a below-average defender at the position. He’s tallied -61 fielding runs since debuting in 2017, the third-worst mark among any position player during that spell.
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Conversely, San Francisco third baseman Matt Chapman is a two-time Platinum Glove winner whose fielding prowess is eerily similar to that of Brooks Robinson and Nolan Arenado. Devers was never going to displace Chapman at the hot corner, but his move to first base, even if fleeting, stands in stark contrast to the comments he made regarding such a proposition towards the end of his Red Sox tenure.
Devers rejected calls to fill in for Casas at first base, blasting Boston’s Chief Baseball Officer, Craig Breslow, and calling on the Red Sox to “do their jobs” and acquire another player to man first base.
“I know I’m a ballplayer, but at the same time, they can’t expect me to play every single position out there,” he said, via ESPN. “In spring training, they talked to me and basically told me to put away my glove. I wasn’t going to play another position other than DH. Right now, I don’t think it would be an appropriate decision by them to ask me to play another position.”
Devers was far more amenable to a positional swap during his introductory presser.
“They’re the men in charge,” Devers said through an interpreter. “I am here to play wherever they want me to play.”
MORE: Rafael Devers’ timeline of controversy with Red Sox
Is Rafael Devers playing tonight?
Devers will make his Giants debut on Tuesday, batting third as the Giants’ designated hitter when they take on the Guardians at Oracle Park (9:45 p.m. ET/6:45 p.m. local time). Across 73 appearances, Devers is posting a .905 OPS.
