Devers tells Red Sox he won't play first, upset they asked him to move
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BOSTON -- Rafael Devers has put his foot down and his glove away, too.
He's not going to play first base.
Speaking to the media for the first time since Triston Casas was lost for the season after rupturing the patellar tendon in his left knee and undergoing surgery, Devers said he met with Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, who asked him if he'd switch to first base, and the DH said no.
"They had the conversation with me," Devers said through team interpreter Daveson Perez. "I don't think, for me personally, it's the best decision after they asked me to play a different position. And I only had two months playing this position to all of a sudden have me try to play another position. So, from my end, it doesn't seem like a good decision."
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After the club said Casas was out for the remainder of the year, manager Alex Cora said a few times that he hadn't talked to Devers about any possible move to first.
After the Red Sox beat the Rangers 5-0 on Thursday, Devers said the club came to him.
"It was after the Casas [injury]. ... They came to me and talked to me about it," Devers said. "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 and I wasn't going to play any other position but DH."
Asked if there's a chance he might change his mind, Devers immediately said "no."
"I don't think so," he said. "They've told me I'm a little hard-headed and they already asked me to change once. This time, I don't think I can be as flexible."
Devers went 2-for-3 with a solo homer and two RBIs on Thursday, raising his average to .383 with four homers and 11 RBIs in his last 12 games.
Cora has said recently that part of Devers' success is he's starting to feel comfortable with his routine as the DH.
Devers said he was upset they asked him to move.
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"Yeah. I don't feel that they were true to their word," he said. "They told me that I was going to play this position – DH -- and now they're going back on that. I just don't think they [are] staying true with their word."
Devers said there was no trouble with his teammates but was upset that Breslow came to him with the question.
"I'm not certain what he has with me," he said. "He played ball. I would like to think that he knows that a change to position like that isn't easy."