KANSAS CITY -- Red Sox principal owner John Henry, president Sam Kennedy and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow boarded a plane together Friday to meet with Rafael Devers prior to Boston’s 2-1 loss in 12 innings at Kauffman Stadium in response to Devers’ comments that he was upset the club asked him to play first base.
“It was actually John who spoke directly to Raffy and felt like it was important based on the situation that unfolded yesterday to come out here and have an honest conversation about what we value as an organization, what we believe is important to the Boston Red Sox,” Breslow said. “And that is being great teammates for each other.
“We think we had a productive conversation, John seems to have had a productive conversation, and that’s where it is at right now.”
Henry, Devers and manager Alex Cora were the only ones in the meeting Friday, which delayed pregame media availability by over 80 minutes. Devers did not come onto the field until after 5 p.m. CT, well after a majority of his teammates had begun throwing and after the scheduled start of batting practice.
“It was a good conversation,” Cora said. “[Devers] expressed his feelings. John did the same.
“I think everybody saw who was here, so I think that carries weight in the clubhouse.”
However, no decision was made about Devers’ future position. For now, he’ll continue to be the Red Sox's designated hitter. On Friday, he batted second and went 1-for-5, recording an RBI groundout in the 11th. After the game, Devers declined to speak to the media.
“That decision was never going to be made on a couch in an office in Kansas City, and that conversation is still ongoing,” Breslow said.
Devers said Thursday he was approached by the Red Sox soon after Triston Casas ruptured the patellar tendon in his left knee and underwent surgery, ending Casas’ 2025 season. Devers said that the Red Sox “can’t expect me to play every single position out there,” when questioned about a switch to first base.
Devers, who was a primary third baseman his entire career, was asked to move to designated hitter in Spring Training after the Red Sox signed Alex Bregman to a three-year, $120 million contract in the offseason. After initially stating his desire to stay at third, Devers eventually moved to DH ahead of the regular season. But Devers said Thursday that he doesn’t “think I can be as flexible” in regards to a move to first base.
“I think Raffy was clearly frustrated with the situation,” Breslow said. “My reaction was that potentially there was some misunderstanding on the communication, or an opportunity to provide communication. Hopefully that was a step in the right direction here.
“... It does seem like it was productive. It was a chance for [an] honest, candid exchange. I think the most important thing here is we believe that we’ve got a really good team that’s capable of winning a bunch of games and playing meaningful games down the stretch, and that’s what we need to focus on.”
Trevor Story said he had not spoken directly to Devers about his comments, adding the clubhouse was “not breathing life into it, really.” Story, who said he has not been approached to play first base, said the team is just focused on beating Kansas City and that speaking to Devers will come eventually.
“Yeah, we will talk about it,” Story said. “Obviously, things are fresh and a little emotional right now, but yeah, we will do it. And like I said, we’re all adults and we’ll figure this thing out eventually. One way or another, it’s about winning games and I think everyone can agree on that.”
The Red Sox came close to doing that Friday behind six scoreless innings from Hunter Dobbins, who said he had 24 family members at The K to watch him in person, but were unable to secure a win against a team that made the postseason a season ago.
Both Cora and Breslow reiterated the club’s potential as a playoff contender, stating that the Red Sox (20-20) are more focused on winning games than outside distractions. That’s why Boston’s front office wanted to address Devers' situation as quickly as possible -- to get back to baseball.
“I think based on how things very publicly unfolded yesterday, there was an opportunity to address this and reinforce what we think is important, what has been important to this ownership group, what’s important to the players, staff and the front office,” Breslow said. “And so we were able to do that. Obviously Raffy is a very big and important part of this team. I think it was important that these things get addressed.
“There will be times where I believe acting in the best interests of the organization is probably going to be difficult and uncomfortable, and I have to do it anyway. … Especially for someone who has undergone pretty significant transitions in roles over the last few months, but a difficult conversation is not a reason to avoid.”
Jackson Stone
@Jackson_Stoneee