The Boston Red Sox have a huge hole at first base left by the absence of injured star Triston Casas. Casas suffered a knee injury and underwent surgery earlier this month. He’s likely to miss the entire year.

The answer is obvious, right? The Red Sox should play Rafael Devers at first base, right?

Wrong.

Instead, they’ve turned to infielder Romy Gonzalez and Abraham Toro to man the spot. Neither is a spectacular hitter, and the decision has Red Sox fans scratching their heads in confusion.

That begs the question: why isn’t Devers playing first base?

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Why won’t the Red Sox play Rafael Devers at first base?

Red Sox manager Alex Cora recently broke down the fact that first base isn’t as easy a defensive position as it seems.

“It’s different now at first base,’’ said Cora. ”It’s not just ‘play three feet off the bag and cover first’; you’re involved in every play. (There’s) relays, picks because the other (infielders) are playing a lot different than when we played. We used to play straight up and it was an easier throw. Now, there’s a lot of short hops coming from different positions. So it’s not as easy a position as people make it seem.”

The way Cora views first base from a defensive perspective could be the reason he’s not willing to play Devers there, right?

Well, in his seven year big league career, Toro has played 99 innings at first base while playing over 2,000 innings elsewhere. Gonzalez has played 178 2/3 innings at first base (85 2/3 this season) compared to over 800 innings elsewhere. These two have far from a lot of experience playing the position.

Devers is a natural third baseman who’s played over 8,000 innings in the field during his big-league career. He might not be a star defender, but he’s more than capable of holding his own, especially if the Red Sox gave him a chance to learn the position.

This would free up the designated hitter slot for a player like Roman Anthony, who’s banging on the door of the big leagues right now.

At a certain point, the Red Sox will need to maximize their lineup. Playing Devers at first base, even if it comes with growing pains, will be the best route to take.