Rafael Devers, who was traded to the San Francisco Giants in June after he made it known to the Boston Red Sox that he didn’t want to play first base, will make his first start at the position on Tuesday night.
The Red Sox signed Gold Glove third baseman Alex Bregman during spring training and asked Devers to move to designated hitter. He balked before agreeing to the switch, but when Boston first baseman Triston Casas suffered a season-ending injury, the Red Sox approached Devers about playing the position and he declined.
When he arrived in the Bay Area, Devers insisted he’d do anything asked of him to help the Giants win, and he’s been doing regular fielding work at first base in preparation for his debut at the position.
He’ll be batting third against the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday.
A three-time All-Star, Devers signed a $313.5 million, 10-year contract with the Red Sox in 2023. The Giants acquired him in June to boost their offense, and since then, Devers has been slotted into the lineup as the team’s designated hitter.
Asked why he was willing to play the position for the Giants and not the Red Sox, Devers said he felt he had “earned some respect” because of his production in Boston, adding that he would have made the switch if the Red Sox had asked at the beginning of spring training.
Devers has been dealing with a disk injury in his lower back that has limited his production since joining the Giants, as he’s hitting .219 with 2 home runs and 10 RBIs in 29 games since the trade. Overall, he’s hitting .257 with 17 home runs and 68 RBIs on the season.
The Giants took a six-game losing streak into their meeting with the Braves that dropped them to 52-49, 3 1/2 games out of a wild-card playoff spot. San Francisco ranked 23rd in the majors in runs per game.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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