Rafael Devers no longer opposed to moving from 3rd base to DH this season
"We spoke already, and I'm good to do whatever they want me to do."
Rafael Devers is seemingly changing his tune about potentially moving off of third base for the 2025 season.
A little less than a month after Devers cause a stir in spring training by brushing aside talk of moving to DH in order to accommodate Alex Bregman at third, Devers told reporters on Thursday that he’d be open to moving off the hot corner in order to help put the best team on the field.
“We spoke already, and I’m good to do whatever they want me to do,” Devers said, per MLB.com’s Ian Browne. “I’m here to help. I’ve already spoken with them about that and they know where I stand, but I’m just ready to play.”
Devers’ comments stand in contrast to his initial musings in February about his positioning in Boston’s infield.
“Third base is my position,” Devers told reporters last month. “It’s what I’ve played. I don’t know what their plans are. I know we had a conversation. I made it clear, kind of what my desires were and whatever happens from here, I don’t know.”
“They asked me the question about how I feel about DH and, yeah, I gave them the answer I just gave: No,” he added, noting that it was a “surprise” to be asked to DH if the scenario played out. “I’m someone that I believe in people’s word, and I take it to heart and yeah, it was very surprising that they would suggest that.”
But Devers’ newfound willingness to move off third should help shore up a Red Sox defense that has been a weak spot in Boston for years now.
“I just want to help the team win,” Devers told The Boston Globe’s Peter Abraham on Thursday. “Whatever position I’m playing, I always take these things as a competition and a way to get better. That’s just how I see it. I’m just ready to help the team win.”
Despite Devers’ proficiency at the plate, his play at third base has been an ongoing issue over the years — with the 28-year-old slugger leading the AL in errors at third base every season since 2018.
Devers’ 12 errors last year were his fewest since debuting in 2017, but he still posted a negative-6 Outs Above Average last season. Bregman finished with a plus-6 Outs Above Average last season with Houston en route to his first Gold Glove Award.
While Devers has yet to appear in a spring-training game yet, he acknowledged Thursday that he will make his Grapefruit League debut on Saturday — and remains on track to play on Opening Day on March 27 against the Rangers.
“Yeah, it’s just my decision, you know,” Devers said of holding out of spring-training games, via Browne. “Like I said, my shoulders are fine. They’re good. It was just my decision to want to take a little bit more time to get right. I hadn’t picked up a bat from the end of last season to when I got here in January, so I just felt like I needed that little bit of extra time.”
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