KANSAS CITY, Mo. — As the Red Sox arrived at Kauffman Stadium to start a three-game series against the Royals on Friday, all anyone could talk about was the tension between slugger Rafael Devers and the club over the team asking him to switch positions for the second time in three months. In the clubhouse, it was a topic veteran leader Trevor Story knew couldn’t be avoided.
Story, as well-respected by teammates as anyone on the current roster, said he planned to talk to Devers about the situation with what’s best for the team serving as his North Star.
“We’re all adults here and everyone can have their own opinion,” Story said. “Raffy expressed that. I think, obviously, he felt a little frustrated with the way things were handled. I don’t know, necessarily, the details of how it was handled or really been in there to talk with him yet. To talk any much more about it would be irresponsible, I think, because this thing’s kind of still playing out.
“We’ll talk about it,“ Story said. ”Obviously, things are fresh and a little emotional right now, but yeah we’ll do it. Like I said, we’re all adults. We’ll all figure this thing out eventually and, one way or the other, it’s about winning games and I think everyone can agree on that.”
Devers made headlines Thursday when he revealed that the Red Sox had asked him about potentially playing first base in the wake of Triston Casas’ season-ending knee injury and said he was unwilling to do so. In a candid conversation with reporters in the home clubhouse at Fenway Park, Devers ripped Breslow and claimed the Red Sox do not “stay true to their word.”
On Friday, principal owner John Henry, president/CEO Sam Kennedy and Breslow made an unplanned trip to Kansas City to attempt to clear the air with Devers. Red Sox players, suddenly aware that the contingent was in town, recognized the urgency of the gesture. Many shook Henry’s hand in the visiting dugout before the game.
“I haven’t spent much time in the clubhouse today, but my guess is there are going to be different reactions,” Breslow said. “As soon as the first pitch is thrown, 26 guys are going to align behind trying to beat the Kansas City Royals tonight.”
Naturally, as Breslow said, Devers’ teammates have different takes on the situation. Privately, there are some who feel Devers has been mistreated by an organization that took him out of the field in February, only to ask him to return to an unfamiliar position in May. Others may feel as though Devers’ reluctance to take grounders at first base is not a stance that prioritizes winning. In any case, leaders like Story are determined to not let any resentment fester.
“Naturally, it can present itself that way, but I think we’re worried about today, man,“ Story said. ”We’re worried about winning baseball games today. Whatever it takes to do that. And the same with Raffy, same with everybody here on the same page. Obviously, there are some things that are up in the air, but from man to man, from teammate to teammate, we’re not breathing life into it. It’s about winning tonight and that’s what it’ll be like tomorrow.”
Story, who said he has not been approached about potentially shifting to first base with Casas out, didn’t say whether he believed the Red Sox would be in the best position to win with Devers at first and someone else getting reps at DH. Story, a lifelong shortstop who played second base in 2022, then moved back to the other side of the infield in 2023, noted that different players have different opinions on switching positions.
“It’s all such a personal thing,” Story said. “I think a lot of it has to do with comfortability and stability. That kind of differs from person to person if some guys can make adjustments quicker or not.
“We’ve seen Raffy do it. He went from third to DH. He has shown that he made that adjustment to do better for the team. I think there’s a lot to be said for that.”
The Red Sox plan to move forward, at least for now, with Romy Gonzalez and Abraham Toro platooning at first base. The longer the club waits to start working out someone like Devers at the position, the longer it’ll take for a long-term solution to emerge.
“I don’t think it’s as easy as everyone makes it out to be,“ Story said about playing first. ”It’s a challenging position. It’s a very intricate, detailed position, there’s a lot of things that go into it.
