FORT MYER, Fla. — Roughly one month after Rafael Devers was adamant he did not want to serve as designated hitter for the Boston Red Sox, he has changed his stance.
On Thursday with the Red Sox playing a game on the road, Devers was among several big-league players who stayed behind at JetBlue Park for an intrasquad game.
After homering off Walker Buehler, Devers, who has not spoken much with the media since that day a month ago, addressed his status. The 28-year-old has yet to play in a spring training game this season as he’s built up his shoulder strength following last season’s injuries.
Asked whether he’s talked with the team about his position for the upcoming year, Devers revealed he had a conversation with manager Alex Cora and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow a few weeks ago.
“We spoke already, and I’m good to do whatever they want me to do,” said Devers through translator Daveson Perez. “I’m here to help. I’ve already spoken with them about that, and they know where I stand. I’m just ready to play.”
Devers’ original comments about not wanting to DH came shortly after the Red Sox signed Alex Bregman, a longtime third baseman, who won a Gold Glove at the position last season. Bregman said he’d move to second base to accommodate Devers, but Bregman has spent the entire spring at third base. Devers has yet to enter a game.
Pressed for details on his conversation for Breslow and Cora and if it meant he’d be designated hitter going forward with Bregman at third, Devers initially would not discuss it much further.
“I’m not going to share what we talked about here just because it would make me come off … those are private conversations,” he said. “So I told them everything of my point of view, how I see things, and they know that.”
Devers was asked several times what the plan was going forward, but he kept repeating that his conversation with Breslow and Cora was private. He did say he’ll be ready for Opening Day in Texas in two weeks.
Rafael Devers on potentially being moved off of 3rd base 🎙️⬇️
“I just want to help the team win. Whatever position I’m playing, I always take these things as a competition and as a way to get better.” 👏 #RedSox pic.twitter.com/2JnHWBM9k7
— NESN (@NESN) March 13, 2025
“Definitely. I feel very happy, very fortunate, to be in another Opening Day lineup,” he said. “I expect to be there.”
Devers was asked if Cora had him as the DH on Opening Day, how he’d feel about that decision.
“Good,” he said. “At the end of the day, it’s not my decision. I don’t call the shots around here. So I feel good. I’ll go out there and do what I need to do.”
All spring, Cora has avoided discussing Devers’ position, noting they will announce it when necessary. But as games ticked off the calendar with Devers only facing pitchers in live BP and sim games, it has become notable that he hasn’t entered a game.
Cora said Devers spent all winter building his shoulder strength and, because of that, only began swinging a bat at the start of camp and, therefore, was behind.
“I really don’t know why there’s been such a big deal made about my shoulders,” Devers said. “Since the first day here at camp, I’ve been saying that my shoulders are good, and that they’re good right now. So I don’t know why it’s been put out there, the rumors of my shoulders being bad, but they’re good right now.”
Devers noted it’s been a different spring training for him with the negative attention surrounding his comments earlier in camp.
“It’s been different,” he said. “For me, it’s been kind of sad that I’ve been put out there as someone bad for the organization or not about this organization. But I’ve matured a lot during this, and I’m ready to move forward.”
Devers said he let the team know how he feels, and while Bregman has been playing third, he’ll do what they need.
“I just want to help the team win,” he said. “At the end of the day, whatever position I’m playing, I always take these things as a competition and as a way to get better. That’s how I see it, I’m ready to help the team win.”
After injuring both of his shoulders last season, Devers finished hitting .272 with an .871 OPS and 28 homers in 138 games. He is entering the second season of a 10-year, $313.5 million contract extension that runs through 2033.
“(Fans) can expect a better year than last year from me,” he said. “They can expect from this team overall a lot. We have a really good team, and I think the fans can expect us to compete for a World Series this year.”
Lucas Giolito headed to the IL
Lucas Giolito pitched one inning in his first spring start. (Gerald Herbert / Associated Press)
Another day, another Red Sox starter heading to the injury list.
Two days after right-hander Lucas Giolito exited his first start of the spring with a left hamstring strain, the Red Sox are placing him on the 15-day injury list. He’ll miss the start of the season.
On Tuesday, Giolito pitched one inning in his first start since last March, when he had an internal brace procedure on his elbow. He was eager to return to the mound after a year of rehabbing but felt the hamstring tweak on his first pitch of the game. While he managed to work through the inning, not telling the medical staff until he got to the dugout, he only threw 10 of 24 pitches for strikes.
On Wednesday, he got an MRI and the results on Thursday showed a low-grade strain.
Giolito stayed behind in Fort Myers on Thursday to work out and get treatment and said the hamstring was asymptomatic after playing catch, but the Red Sox are playing it safe.
“Obviously, it’s frustrating; it’s not my decision,” Giolito said. “I went out and threw today and felt 100 percent fine, completely asymptomatic. I was surprised at how good I felt, so yeah, as far as like if I were in charge, I’d be like, ‘OK let’s keep going and pitching.’ ”
Given that Giolito had just started pitching in games after a more deliberate build-up this spring coming off last year’s surgery, the calendar makes it difficult for him to be ready in time for the start of the season in two weeks. After Tuesday’s start, he was set to make four more starts before pitching in the fifth game of the regular season in Baltimore for Boston. But the hamstring tightness pushed that timetable back.
“Obviously, he’s behind,” Cora told The Boston Globe on the road for the team’s game in Port St. Lucie. “I don’t see him being on the Opening Day roster. So, now the other guys come into play. You saw Cooper Criswell (Wednesday). We’ve got Sean Newcomb pitching (Thursday). We’re getting tested right away. I think the difference is that we truly believe that this year we’re in a better spot than last year, but we’re down three (starters).”
The Red Sox opened camp with six starters in the rotation, including Garrett Crochet, Buehler, Tanner Houck, Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford and Giolito.
Bello and Crawford have been slowed since the start of camp and were already deemed to begin the season on the IL. Bello reported to camp with shoulder inflammation but has been building back up for the past few weeks and threw a live batting practice session on Wednesday.
Crawford is further behind after battling a knee injury he’s dealt with since last year. Crawford’s knee was healing after treatment and strengthening this winter, but he had a setback in December and has yet to throw a full-intensity bullpen in camp.
Bello and Giolito are expected back in April, barring any setbacks, but the early-season injuries will still test Boston’s starter depth.
After Crochet, Buehler and Houck, the Red Sox will spend the next two weeks determining which starters fill the final two spots for now. Richard Fitts and Quinn Priester remain front-runners, along with Criswell. Cora also has mentioned Newcomb and Michael Fulmer. The Red Sox have already decided they will keep Garrett Whitlock in the bullpen and will not move Josh Winckowski either.
“It’s a marathon, as we know,” Cora told the Globe. “You cannot panic early on. We cannot go the route of, ‘OK, let’s make Josh Winckowski a starter now.’ Or, ‘Oh, what are we going to do with Garrett Whitlock? We have a good idea what route we can take, and we should be OK.”
Giolito, while frustrated, feels he won’t miss much time on the mound.
“I mean if I were in charge, I’d like to throw a bullpen (Friday),” he said. “But I don’t know if they want me to do that.
“Hamstrings, I’ve had them before. They’re very finicky. So you have to be careful, but at the same time, I’ve never had a hamstring (injury) that was this asymptomatic, so that’s a really good sign. I feel good about that.”
(Top photo of Devers: Mitchell Layton / Getty Images)