Almost everyone in Boston — except him — expects to see Rafael Devers at first base following Triston Casas‘ injury.
That doesn’t seem to be the case inside the Red Sox front office. Manager Alex Cora wasn’t as firm as he had been in recent days regarding the Dominican-born player, but for now, it seems they’ll stick to their current plan — at least until the Trade Deadline.
“We’re going to give Romy and Toro the chance to play,” said Cora on Wednesday before the second game against the Texas Rangers. “I think they can make a good platoon. They’re athletic and good hitters. Let’s give them a chance.”
Rafael Devers wasn’t happy with the Red Sox front office on Thursday. He admitted that general manager Craig Breslow asked him to move to first base — a request he refused.
“I don’t know what the general manager has against me,” said Devers in Spanish to reporters on Thursday. “He thinks I’m the kind of player he can ask to change positions at any time. If an outfielder gets injured, he’ll probably want to send me out there. I can’t accept that because I know what kind of player I am, and I know I’ll do a good job wherever I play.”
Alex Cora has consistently said he wouldn’t ask Devers to change positions. He softened that stance on Wednesday, but he continues to emphasize that he wants the Dominican-born player to remain as the DH.
However, Breslow did make the request, and with Devers refusing, the Red Sox manager will continue platooning Romy González and Abraham Toro at first base.
“We’re looking for the matchups we can maximize,” Cora added. “We’ll talk to the coaches, see what makes sense based on the matchups, and go from there.”
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«He needs to do his job,» said Rafael Devers to reporters in Spanish on Thursday afternoon. «[Craig Breslow] needs to go to the market and find a player who can play first base. He needs to learn how to do his job.»
