The 2025 campaign has certainly been an eventful one for Rafael Devers thus far, with the Boston Red Sox slugger reluctantly switching into the designated hitter to accommodate free agent signing Alex Bregman at third base.
Alex Bregman Highlights the Stellar Performance of Rafael Devers
Devers stirred up a hornet’s nest last week after publicly refusing the request from the Red Sox front office to fill in at first base following a season-ending injury to Triston Casas. His comments have drawn some sharp criticism from the fans and the media.
“They came to me and talked to me about it,” he had said through his interpreter, Daveson Perez, at the time. “I know I’m a ballplayer, but at the same time, they can’t expect me to play every single position out there.”
“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,” Devers noted.
Following his move to the DH role, Devers had made a poor start to the season and failed to get a hit during his first five games in March. He improved considerably at the plate over the course of April to gradually get on track by the end of the month.
Right now, Devers is one of the hottest hitters in the MLB, courtesy of his stellar display in May. The Red Sox left-hander has hit .474/.574/.684 this month with two home runs, 12 RBIs, and 26 total bases after the series opener against the Detroit Tigers.
On Tuesday, Bregman shared an update on his Instagram story to shed some light on the current hot streak that Devers is on. The Red Sox DH was named the AL Player of the Week, having led the league in average, on-base percentage, OPS, and RBIs in that span.
Last week, principal owner John Henry, team president Sam Kennedy, and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow boarded a plane to discuss with the three-time All-Star ahead of the series against the Kansas City Royals.
“It was actually John who spoke directly to Raffy and felt like it was important, based on the situation that unfolded yesterday, to come out here and have an honest conversation about what we value as an organization and what we believe is important to the Boston Red Sox,” Breslow said. “And that is being great teammates for each other.”
“It does seem like it was productive. It was a chance for [an] honest, candid exchange. I think the most important thing here is we believe that we’ve got a really good team that’s capable of winning a bunch of games and playing meaningful games down the stretch, and that’s what we need to focus on.”
The Red Sox are currently in second place in the American League East with a 22-22 record, with a two-game deficit to the New York Yankees. They have only one playoff appearance since winning the World Series in 2018 and missed out on the postseason in each of the three previous seasons.