{"id":58357,"date":"2025-05-29T22:47:28","date_gmt":"2025-05-29T22:47:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=58357"},"modified":"2025-05-29T22:47:28","modified_gmt":"2025-05-29T22:47:28","slug":"mlb-analyst-scolds-red-sox-management-for-getting-bullied-by-rafael-devers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=58357","title":{"rendered":"MLB Analyst Scolds Red Sox Management For Getting Bullied By Rafael Devers"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Boston Red Sox have been through two separate \u2014 albeit related \u2014 Rafael Devers conflicts already this season.<\/p>\n

First, Red Sox management ran into trouble when Devers pushed back against moving to designated hitter to make room for new acquisition Alex Bregman (a Gold Glove third baseman and superior defensive player to Devers).<\/p>\n

Begrudgingly, Devers ultimately acquiesced to the situation and eventually embraced his new role as Boston\u2019s designated hitter.<\/p>\n

Once Devers broke out of an early-season slump and started mashing, it seemed like any drama related to the position change was in the rearview for good.<\/p>\n

But Red Sox management (Alex Cora, CBO Craig Breslow, others) made a grave mistake in its handling of the initial Devers problem \u2014 they told Devers to effectively retire his glove, or in essence, that he\u2019d no longer be playing in the field at all moving forward.<\/p>\n

This was a foolish way of going about things on two levels. First, by promising to Devers that he wouldn\u2019t be returning to the field as some way of enticing him to DH full-time, Cora and Co. weren\u2019t preparing themselves for an inevitable future in which some of Boston\u2019s infielders (e.g. Bregman) missed time due to injury, which would ostensibly require Devers to re-enter the diamond defensively.<\/p>\n

Secondly, by establishing Devers as some sort of \u201cpermanent\u201d DH, the Red Sox were betraying the sacred notion that a team’s players can and must play any position they are asked to play if and when required to do so. The “DH promise” to Devers was wrong merely in the sense that it undermined the notion that no player under contract is above the collective team.<\/p>\n

In a cruel twist of fate for Boston, Bregman is now injured, leading to a second Devers dilemma \u2014 Raffy\u2019s refusal to play first base.<\/p>\n

Because Devers was asked to DH in the manner he was asked, he felt empowered to vehemently reject the notion of playing first, which has caused a negative ripple effect in the clubhouse and has made things difficult for other players like Kristian Campbell as they go out of their way to adjust to Devers\u2019s selfishness.<\/p>\n

On Wednesday night, with Boston losers of five straight games, MLB Network\u2019s Harold Reynolds scolded the Red Sox for their handling of the Devers-first base situation, saying that they either need to put Devers in his place or otherwise go acquire a first baseman. The Red Sox have done neither.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry, but the Red Sox (need to) go get a first baseman,\u201d Reynolds insisted during a new episode of MLB Tonight<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe said this a month ago. You either get Devers and say, \u2018You’re playing first\u2019, or you go get a first baseman.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is what I don’t get. He blew up; he embarrassed the organization. They hopped on a flight and went to Kansas City. What’d they say? \u201cIt’s okay\u201d? No! You say, \u2018Your butt’s going to first base. We give you $30 million a year.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

MLB Network\u2019s analyst Al Leiter then challenged Reynolds.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat if he says no?\u201d Leiter asked, alluding to Devers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen you got a problem,\u201d Reynolds replied. \u201cAnd you know what? Look, they’re falling out of this thing now. They’ve lost five (in a row).\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to sit down and re-fix this thing,\u201d Reynolds continued. \u201cKristian Campbell’s not the answer at first base.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reynolds is correct on all accounts.<\/p>\n

More MLB: <\/strong><\/em>Top Podcaster Rips Red Sox For Roman Anthony Failure: ‘Indefensible’<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Boston Red Sox have been through two separate \u2014 albeit related \u2014 Rafael Devers conflicts already this season. 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