Rafael Devers has every reason to make the comments he has over the past few weeks.
On paper, he’s one of the top third basemen in Major League Baseball, but if fans want to argue that it’s because of his bat, that’s also more than fair.
Devers is a below-average defender by nearly every metric, but his bat makes him one of the elite players in Major League Baseball.
The Boston Red Sox have to put the best team on the field, and if that means he’s a designated hitter while Alex Bregman plays third base and Kristian Campbell wins the job at second base, that’s what the team needs to do.
MassLive’s Sean McAdam thinks that will be the case, adding comments from Craig Breslow and Alex Cora that support the move.
“Devers will be healthy enough to make the Opening Day roster. The conversation about his position will be incessant until then,” wrote McAdam. “When people like (Craig) Breslow and (Alex) Cora diplomatically note that ‘these things tend to work themselves out,’ they’re basically saying that Devers will eventually play where they want him to play. If Campbell shows out and claims second base, that spot will be designated hitter.”
It’ll be interesting to see how Devers reacts if this happens. He hasn’t played in Spring Training due to shoulder soreness, but he’s expected to return to the diamond on Wednesday.
The Red Sox will give him a chance to play third base in Spring Training, but the slugger improving to the level they need him to is slim to none after what he’s shown in his career.