Rafael Devers has drawn his line in the sand: He's not a first baseman.
The Boston Red Sox slugger revealed Thursday that chief baseball officer Craig Breslow approached him about playing first base after Triston Casas' season-ending knee injury. Devers, a third baseman by trade who's now the Red Sox full-time designated hitter, not only rejected the idea but was angry at the team for even broaching the subject.
"I don't feel that they stayed true to their word," Devers said through a translator, according to Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald. "They asked me to - they told me that I was going to be playing this position, DH, and now they're going back on that. So yeah, I just don't think they stayed true to their word."
Devers' frustrations apparently intensified as he spoke to reporters.
"I don't think, me personally, it's the best decision, after they asked me to play a different position, and I don't even have two months playing this position," he said, according to Starr. "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, so right now I just feel like it's not an appropriate decision by them to ask me to play another position."
Devers saved his harshest words for Breslow. The two-time Silver Slugger winner believes the executive, who pitched in the majors for 12 seasons, should have known better than to ask him to switch.
"It was the GM (Breslow) that I spoke with," he said, according to Christopher Smith of MassLive. "I'm not sure what he has with me. He played ball, and I would like to think he knows that changing positions like that isn't easy."
Devers added, per Starr: "They (the front office) put me in this situation. As you know, they told me that they didn't want to allow me to play any other position. And now I think they should do their jobs essentially, and hit the market and look for another player. I'm not sure why they want me to be in-between."
Devers has no professional experience playing first base but has struggled defensively at third. The arrival of Alex Bregman in February pushed Devers to DH, a move he initially scoffed at before eventually embracing that role.
When asked whether he might change his tune about first base down the line, Devers said, "No."
"I mean, I don't think so," he said, according to Starr. "Like they've told me, I'm a little hard-headed, and this is - they already asked me to change once, and this time I don't think I can be as flexible."
Devers also said he didn't expect his refusal to cause any issues with his teammates, before again taking aim at Breslow and the front office.
"Here in the clubhouse, thankfully the relationship that I have with my teammates is great," Devers said, according to Smith. "I don't understand some of the decisions that the GM makes. Next thing you know someone in the outfield gets hurt, and they want me to play in the outfield. I think I know the kind of player I am. And, yeah, that's just where I stand."
Devers, who signed a 10-year, $313.5-million extension with Boston two years ago, is hitting .246/.370/.430 with five homers, 23 RBIs, and an AL-best 28 walks through his first 38 games this season.
Romy Gonzalez and Abraham Toro have been splitting first-base duties for the Red Sox since Casas was injured.
