The Boston Red Sox currently sit at 20-20 in the American League East, trailing their rivals, the New York Yankees. While the Red Sox have a solid roster, there may be a major issue within the team in the form of designated hitter Rafael Devers.
Devers has been the Red Sox’s third baseman for his entire career, but following offseason acquisitions, he was asked to move into the DH role. This decision upset Devers, as he felt he had earned the right to continue playing his natural position.
On Thursday, Devers was approached about the possibility of playing first base after Tristan Casas was injured. Devers wasn’t happy with the suggestion and made his frustration clear.
“I’m not certain what (issue) he has with me,” Devers said. “He played ball, and I would like to think that he knows that changing positions like that isn’t easy. I know I’m a ballplayer, but at the same time, they can’t expect me to play every single position out there. In (spring) training, they talked to me and basically told me to put away my glove, that I wasn’t going to play any other position but DH. Right now, I just feel like it’s not an appropriate decision by them to ask me to play another position.”
Since then, other Red Sox players have told Devers to stay quiet and refrain from discussing the situation any further. The comments appear to be taking a toll on the locker room dynamic.
On Friday, the Red Sox front office met with Devers in an attempt to diffuse the tension. College basketball analyst Jeff Goodman also weighed in, not holding back on his opinion of Devers.
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“Is there a worse teammate in sports than Rafael Devers right now? This guy is a piece of work,” Goodman said.
Goodman’s criticism isn’t entirely unfounded. Devers seems to be doing the opposite of what a good teammate would do. Rather than helping the team by adjusting to a new position, he’s choosing to create tension and potentially undermine the Red Sox’s efforts.
