Rafael Devers Declines First Base Role Following Casas Injury

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00:00The Red Sox win the rubber match of their three-game midweek set

00:02in Fenway against the Texas Rangers, planking Texas 5-zip.

00:06Rafael Devers, a home run and a couple of ribbies,

00:09but after the game was asked if he would consider a move to first base

00:13as the Red Sox approached him with such.

00:16Tristan Kassas, the young first baseman for Boston, a knee injury.

00:20He is out for the remainder of this season.

00:22Rafi basically saying, no, I'm good.

00:25They already made me move from third base to welcome in Alex Bregman.

00:29I'm now just a DH.

00:31They told me to put the glove away.

00:32I'm not going to find a first baseman man to be on the other side of the infield.

00:36They can't be serious with this.

00:38Like, it's one thing to say, like, hey, you know what?

00:39We're going to meet in late October when the season is over.

00:42Rafi, here's what I need from you, kid.

00:44Like, third baseman, we're going to get another one in here.

00:46I need you to learn first base.

00:48You've got six to eight months.

00:49We will send our best scouts and our best instructors down

00:51to take ground balls and teach you the etiquette of first base,

00:54like what Bryce Harper did over an all-season.

00:56And he's a very serviceable plus-level first baseman now.

01:00But you can't say, hey, Bryce, like for the Phillies,

01:02go to first base and then move you back to third base,

01:04which you never played before.

01:05It's unbelievable.

01:06Like, this isn't like a AAA kid just saying,

01:08I'll do anything to break into Major League Baseball.

01:11If you break the psyche of an elite Major League Baseball hitter

01:14where half his mind is like, I just want to focus on what I need to do with the plate,

01:18and now it goes, man, when I get out there in the second inning,

01:20like if there's men on first and second base, like what do I do?

01:23Where do I play?

01:23Like, you can't do this.

01:24I'm embarrassed for the Boston Red Sox organization for doing this to Raphael Devers.