Boston Red Sox Address Rafael Devers Idea After Triston Casas Injury

The Red Sox confirmed on Saturday that Triston Casas’ knee injury will end his season, sparking discussions about potential replacements.

When Boston signed Alex Bregman, some fans and analysts had proposed moving Rafael Devers to first base. Though the All-Star initially rejected the idea, he later fully accepted his role as the designated hitter. Now, however, the idea has resurfaced, and the Red Sox haven’t completely dismissed the possibility.

 

Red Sox introduce Craig Breslow

“Right now, we’re not in a place to speak to that,” chief baseball officer Craig Breslow told reporters Saturday, per The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey. “But obviously we’ll have conversations internally, and we’ll do the best we can to find the short-term solution, and also one that we feel like can hold up over the long term.”

The Red Sox have placed Casas on the injured list and called up Abraham Toro to serve as a backup for Romy González, who will start at first base. The idea of moving Devers to first would potentially allow Masataka Yoshida to take over the DH role. However, Breslow pointed out that these decisions are independent of each other, and manager Alex Cora doesn’t believe it’s necessary to shake up the lineup’s rhythm at this point.

“From my end right now, no,” Cora told reporters of the idea of moving Devers to first, per McCaffrey. “We asked him to do something in spring training. And in the beginning, he didn’t agree with it, and now he’s very comfortable doing what he’s doing (at DH). So like I told you guys in spring training, he’s my DH.”

Devers had a rough start to the season, but the 28-year-old turned things around, finishing the first month with a strong .921 OPS. Additionally, Devers has never played first base professionally. While players like Kevin Youkilis have successfully handled both positions, Cora pointed out that making such a switch isn’t easy in today’s game. He also emphasized that he’s confident in Toro and González handling first base duties.
The Red Sox are keeping their options on the table, but it may be too soon in the season to make any major changes following Casas’ injury.

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