Craig Breslow explains not playing Rafael Devers at third despite brief vacancy
The Red Sox' decision to not play Rafael Devers at third base when Alex Bregman was placed on the paternity list and missed Wednesday's game didn't come as a surprise.
Manager Alex Cora made it clear Devers was Boston's full-time designated hitter and wouldn't see reps at his former position, but the decision was still a significant one due to the Red Sox' defensive struggles to begin the season.
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During an appearance on WEEI's 'The Greg Hill Show' recently, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow explained the reasoning for not putting Devers at third.
'I think it's an opportunity to get guys into the lineup that we want to make sure aren't sitting for long, whether that's Romy (Gonzalez) or (David Hamilton),' Breslow said. 'Raffy is obviously going through a transition in terms of his role and we want to make sure that we're doing everything we possibly can to make sure that transition is as easy as possible. Sometimes, adding things to one's plate can make it a little bit more complicated.'
Devers struggled mightily to begin the season as the designated hitter, going 0-for-19 with 15 strikeouts. He's since settled into his new position and has hits in four of the Red Sox' last five games, including a home run in Saturday's walk-off win against the Chicago White Sox.
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