The Red Sox management headed to Kansas City on Friday to address the ongoing situation with Raphael Devers.
Reports indicate that the tension between the star third baseman and the front office intensified this week, involving owner John Henry, team president Sam Kennedy, and baseball operations head Craig Breslow.
Earlier this week, Devers, who had moved from third base to designated hitter at the start of the season following Alex Bregman’s contract, expressed his willingness to shift positions again due to Triston Casas’ season-ending injury.
“I know I’m a ball player, but they can’t expect me to cover every position,” Devers noted through a translator, as mentioned in a report. “In spring training, they told me to focus on hitting.”
He added that asking him to switch positions now feels inappropriate.
There seems to be a rift between Devers and Breslow, especially after Devers appeared unsure about any issues when speaking to reporters earlier this week.
“I don’t know what his problem is,” Devers remarked.
Breslow mentioned that Henry and manager Alex Cora had a conversation with Devers on Friday.
“Given everything that unfolded yesterday, I thought it was crucial to come here and discuss our values as an organization and what we deem important for the Boston Red Sox,” Breslow stated. “It’s all about being good teammates.”
Devers’ teammates, meanwhile, reportedly weren’t thrilled about recent developments involving the three-time All-Star. According to Gabriel Starr from the Boston Herald, a postgame comment he made on Thursday received a somewhat negative reaction from the clubhouse.
