Latest news with #Devers
Edmonton Journal
2 days ago
- General
- Edmonton Journal
Red Sox legend David Ortiz: Leave Rafael Devers alone on decision to play 1B
Article content The Boston Red Sox should just leave designated hitter Rafael Devers alone and let him decide if he wants to start playing first base, Hall of Famer David Ortiz told The Associated Press on Monday. Article content The Red Sox signed Alex Bregman to a $120-million, three-year contract in spring training and told Devers he was going to be the fulltime DH. That was, until first baseman Triston Casas was lost for the season after rupturing a tendon in his left knee and undergoing surgery in early May. Article content Speaking at his charity golf tournament — the David Ortiz Soiree of Hearts — the former Red Sox slugger said any move should be up to Devers. 'He's doing great as the DH. They asked for it, and he's doing great as the DH,' Ortiz said. 'Once (the) Casas situation goes down … In people's minds, it was: 'Devers goes to first and (Masataka) Yoshida goes to DH and we are a better team'. Yeah, that's what you put in your mind. But guess what? The kid was asked in a spring training to just hit and now all of a sudden you want to switch him over. It takes time.' The 49-year-old Ortiz, who made his way to the Hall as mainly a DH, didn't say Devers shouldn't make the switch, but any choice should come after he learns the position. 'I will say this: At one point, if Devers would like to practice at first base, and would like to go back to playing the whole defense thing, that is all on him,' said Ortiz, sitting down with the AP while signing souvenirs for golfers. Article content 'We asked him to be the DH. Fully asked him to be the DH,' Big Papi said. 'I remember that conversation in spring training. It's a different situation and the guy's doing great at what you asked him for. He's giving you what you asked for, even if it wasn't what he was agreeing on.' During spring training, Devers initially balked at the move to DH. Last month, Devers told the Red Sox he wasn't interested in playing first and owner John Henry flew to Kansas City to meet with him. After a historically poor start, Devers enters Monday batting .286 with 12 homers and a major-league leading 52 RBIs. Ortiz said the game has changed from when he was told he was going to be mainly a DH. 'They thought I was going to fit in good at DH and play first once in a while,' he said. 'Baseball was different back then. You just wanted to fit in.' Ortiz's golf tournament benefits the David Ortiz Children's Fund, which raises funds that provide lifesaving heart surgeries and care for children in New England and his native country, the Dominican Republic. Latest National Stories
Toronto Sun
2 days ago
- Business
- Toronto Sun
Red Sox legend David Ortiz: Leave Rafael Devers alone on decision to play 1B
Published Jun 03, 2025 • 2 minute read Boston Red Sox's Rafael Devers follows through on a grand slam against the Baltimore Orioles. AP Photo The Boston Red Sox should just leave designated hitter Rafael Devers alone and let him decide if he wants to start playing first base, Hall of Famer David Ortiz told The Associated Press on Monday. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account The Red Sox signed Alex Bregman to a $120-million, three-year contract in spring training and told Devers he was going to be the fulltime DH. That was, until first baseman Triston Casas was lost for the season after rupturing a tendon in his left knee and undergoing surgery in early May. Speaking at his charity golf tournament — the David Ortiz Soiree of Hearts — the former Red Sox slugger said any move should be up to Devers. 'He's doing great as the DH. They asked for it, and he's doing great as the DH,' Ortiz said. 'Once (the) Casas situation goes down … In people's minds, it was: 'Devers goes to first and (Masataka) Yoshida goes to DH and we are a better team'. Yeah, that's what you put in your mind. But guess what? The kid was asked in a spring training to just hit and now all of a sudden you want to switch him over. It takes time.' Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The 49-year-old Ortiz, who made his way to the Hall as mainly a DH, didn't say Devers shouldn't make the switch, but any choice should come after he learns the position. 'I will say this: At one point, if Devers would like to practice at first base, and would like to go back to playing the whole defense thing, that is all on him,' said Ortiz, sitting down with the AP while signing souvenirs for golfers. 'We asked him to be the DH. Fully asked him to be the DH,' Big Papi said. 'I remember that conversation in spring training. It's a different situation and the guy's doing great at what you asked him for. He's giving you what you asked for, even if it wasn't what he was agreeing on.' During spring training, Devers initially balked at the move to DH. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Last month, Devers told the Red Sox he wasn't interested in playing first and owner John Henry flew to Kansas City to meet with him. After a historically poor start, Devers enters Monday batting .286 with 12 homers and a major-league leading 52 RBIs. Ortiz said the game has changed from when he was told he was going to be mainly a DH. 'They thought I was going to fit in good at DH and play first once in a while,' he said. 'Baseball was different back then. You just wanted to fit in.' Ortiz's golf tournament benefits the David Ortiz Children's Fund, which raises funds that provide lifesaving heart surgeries and care for children in New England and his native country, the Dominican Republic. Columnists Canada Sunshine Girls Olympics Technology
New York Post
2 days ago
- Sport
- New York Post
David Ortiz's message to Red Sox about Rafael Devers drama: ‘They asked for it'
Someone is finally on Rafael Devers' side after his refusal to play first base for the Red Sox. Boston legend David Ortiz has come to Devers' defense after a season-ending injury to first baseman Triston Casas had the team and fans expecting the designated hitter Devers to step in and fill the void. 'He's doing great as the DH. They asked for it, and he's doing great as the DH,' Ortiz told The Associated Press on Monday. 'Once [the] Casas situation goes down … In people's minds, it was: 'Devers goes to first and [Masataka] Yoshida goes to DH and we are a better team'. Yeah, that's what you put in your mind. But guess what? The kid was asked in spring training to just hit and now all of a sudden you want to switch him over. It takes time.' 3 David Ortiz spent 14 seasons with the Red Sox and won the World Series MVP in 2013. Getty Images Devers is in his ninth season with the Red Sox and signed a gargantuan 11-year, $331 million extension in early 2023. He played third base for much of his career but was asked to focus on hitting at the DH position after the team signed infielder Alex Bregman this offseason, stirring up some preseason melodrama. Ortiz spent 14 of his 20 MLB seasons with the Red Sox, won three World Series and made a Hall of Fame career playing DH while also playing first base over the years. 3 Rafael Devers did not want to play first base when asked to by his team. Dale Zanine-Imagn Images When Casas went down, many expected Devers to shift to a similar role, but the DH responded, 'They can't expect me to play every single position out there. In spring training, they talked to me and basically told me to put away my glove … I don't think it would be an appropriate decision by them to ask me to play another position.' Focusing on hitting has certainly been working for Devers this season as he's batting .286 with 12 homers and an MLB-leading 52 RBIs. 'We asked him to be the DH. Fully asked him to be the DH,' Ortiz said. 'I remember that conversation in spring training … He's giving you what you asked for.' 3 Rafael Devers leads MLB in RBIs this season. Dale Zanine-Imagn Images While 'Big Papi' recognizes that some flexibility could open things up a bit more for the team, he thinks it's ultimately up to no one but Devers. 'I will say this: At one point, if Devers would like to practice at first base, and would like to go back to playing the whole defense thing, that is all on him,' Ortiz said.
Boston Globe
2 days ago
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Legendary Red Sox DH David Ortiz weighs in on whether Rafael Devers should be open to moving to first base
Ortiz marveled that Devers so quickly has learned to achieve the mentality and routines to excel in a DH-only role, with the 28-year-old entering Monday with a .286 average, .408 OBP, .515 slugging mark, 12 home runs, and an MLB-leading 52 RBIs. Advertisement 'He's having a hell of a season,' Ortiz said. 'I wasn't concerned about Raffy's hitting. I was more concerned about [him adapting to] the role of a DH. People think DH-ing is the easiest thing to do. If you're not hitting, you ain't doing anything. That's how you feel … And he has come through. He's doing excellent, and hopefully it continues.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up But with Devers thriving in a DH-only role, Ortiz recognizes the delicacy of another potential position change, and the question of whether Devers (with Bregman likely out for months and first baseman Triston Casas out for the year) Ortiz said he hasn't talked to Devers about the situation but remains aware of it. Advertisement 'I'm just watching, just to see how everything's going to end up,' said Ortiz. 'But I'm enjoying watching him just smoking the pitchers.' Ortiz straddled the line on how the Red Sox should proceed with Devers. On one hand, he sees reason for caution given that Devers is hitting as well as any point in his career. 'He's killing it right now [as a DH],' Ortiz told reporters at Brae Burn Country Club in Newton, where he was hosting a fund-raiser for the David Ortiz Children's Fund. 'You don't want to mess that up.' That said, Ortiz also noted that if he'd been in a similar situation, he would have volunteered to play first. '[After] Casas went down, if I was him, I would have put myself available for anything, but that was me,' Ortiz said. '[Devers] was a third baseman that was asked to be a DH. Now, all of a sudden you want him to play first base, I guess. You have to give him some time for him to learn if you want him to, because he's doing great as a DH. 'He needs to know that he's an important piece for this organization. He's doing what he was asked [in spring training, when the organization asked him to DH]. But yeah, I think he should just think about what would be better for the organization, him at first or him as the DH, and go from there. But we have to give him some time.' With that time, Ortiz believes Devers will come to the conclusion that he can and should start working at first base for the good of the team. Ortiz expressed sympathy for Devers as he's been bounced between job descriptions, yet suggested that the well-being of the team should be the ultimate guide. Advertisement 'At some point, you're going to mature and you're going to understand that when it comes down to being part of a club, you've got to be all-in,' Ortiz said in a separate interview on NESN's '310 to Left' podcast. 'I think he can be a hell of a first baseman, in my mind … Hopefully he understands that at some point, him being a first baseman and having some of the guys DH might be a hell of an idea and make us a better team. 'I don't know if he's working at first base right now. I think he should practice there. If he sees the team needs him or the team is better with him at first base, just go for it. He's the face of this franchise right now.' The subject hovers over a struggling team (with manager Alex Cora and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow saying last week that conversations remain ongoing with Devers, who is signed to the biggest contract in franchise history), and with it, Devers has become something of a lightning rod. Though Ortiz believes that Devers should be open to contributing at first — something that could open the door for Masataka Yoshida to return as DH or for other position players to be rotated in a way that might create a path for a call-up of Roman Anthony — he also believes that Devers shouldn't be seen as the source of the team's struggles. 'Everybody wants to focus on Devers. Devers is doing what he's supposed to,' said Ortiz. 'The rest of the team needs to collaborate with us. We need more Devers on the team, basically.' Advertisement Alex Speier can be reached at
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
David Ortiz on whether Rafael Devers should play first base for Red Sox: 'He's doing great as the DH'
Boston Red Sox legend David Ortiz knows what it's like to be a designated hitter for one of MLB's premier franchises. Ortiz didn't fully blossom until getting to the Red Sox in 2003. There, he developed into one of the best designated hitters in MLB history. So, there's no better person to weigh in on the drama between the team and star hitter Rafael Devers. After asking Devers to become the team's full-time designated hitter in the offseason, the Red Sox changed course, and asked if Devers would play first base following Tristan Casas' brutal knee injury. Devers declined, and had a few choice words to say about how the Red Sox's front office approached the situation. Advertisement While Ortiz did not weigh in on Devers' issues with the front office, the Hall of Famer agreed with Devers' decision to stick it out at DH, according to the Associated Press. "He's doing great as the DH. They asked for it, and he's doing great as the DH," Ortiz said. "Once [the] Casas situation goes down ... In people's minds, it was: 'Devers goes to first and [Masataka] Yoshida goes to DH and we are a better team'. Yeah, that's what you put in your mind. But guess what? The kid was asked in a spring training to just hit and now all of a sudden you want to switch him over. It takes time." After a slow start, Devers has excelled in his new position. The slugger is hitting .286/.408/.515, with 12 home runs, in 61 games. Devers' 156 wRC+, an advanced stat that measures a player's offensive performance, is a career-high. Despite starting the season 0-for-21 at the plate, he's now experiencing the best offensive season of his career. Devers' performance has mostly quieted talk about another position change. While the Red Sox could hypothetically put out a better lineup if Devers were to play first base, why mess with something that's going well? That's essentially the argument Ortiz made. While Devers has performed well, the Red Sox haven't lived up to expectations yet. The team sits at 29-32 entering play Monday, good for fourth place in the American League East. The ship appears to have sailed on Devers playing the field again, though those calls could get louder should the team continue to scuffle late into the summer.
