Boston Red Sox Make Huge Decision On Rafael Devers

Alex Cora has made a definitive call on Rafael Devers’ role with the Boston Red Sox in 2025: he will be the team’s full-time designated hitter, with no exceptions. 

Despite Devers taking ground balls at third base during pregame workouts, Cora made it clear that the former All-Star will not see any game action at his old position. “He’s the DH of the Boston Red Sox,” Cora said Friday in Arlington. “We had a conversation, we talked about it. He’s DHing.”

The Red Sox going from an offseason of ‘Rafael Devers is our third baseman’ to ‘He’s never playing third base, even if there’s a fire’ is quite the pivot.

— Gabrielle Starr (@gfstarr1) March 28, 2025

The decision comes after a winter of uncertainty, during which Devers publicly resisted the idea of moving off third base—even after the Red Sox signed Alex Bregman. 

While Bregman was initially seen as a possible second baseman, he ultimately claimed the hot corner, pushing Devers to a new role he had once rejected. Cora and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow eventually got Devers on board, though it took time and careful dialogue. 

Now, with Bregman entrenched at third, the Red Sox will rely on utility players like Romy Gonzalez and David Hamilton to fill in when Bregman needs a day off, not Devers.

Craig Breslow on Rafael Devers moving to DH:

“I think Raffy deserves a ton of credit for putting the team first.”

pic.twitter.com/1gAJOWQwM3

— Tyler Milliken (@tylermilliken_) March 28, 2025

Cora emphasized the importance of positional consistency, something he learned while serving as general manager for Team Puerto Rico during the 2017 World Baseball Classic. 

“We asked Carlos [Correa] to play short one day, and he said, ‘No, I’m the third baseman,’” Cora recalled. “That stuck with me.” 

As Devers adjusts to DH duties full time, Cora isn’t concerned about a rocky Opening Day, when the slugger went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. “He’ll be OK,” the manager said. “We don’t want him to overthink it.”

He followed that up with another 0-for-4 game on Friday, this time with four strikeouts.

Photo Credit: Tim Heitman-Imagn Images