Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Wednesday that newly acquired free agent Alex Bregman will play third base this season, with incumbent Rafael Devers moving to designated hitter.
“We all are in the winning business, and he understands that,” Cora told WEEI-AM. “It’s like everything, right: You don’t have to agree with it, but at the end of the day what are we going to go out there and perform every single day.”
Devers has developed into one of the top hitters in the American League over the past seven-plus seasons, batting .279 with 200 home runs and 638 RBIs while earning three All-Star selections and picking up MVP votes five times. While the Red Sox refused to make a long-term commitment to homegrown stars Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts, they signed Devers before the 2023 season to a 10-year, $313.5 million deal.
But Devers has struggled at third base, where he has played almost 1,000 games, leading the league in errors at the position seven years in a row. When the team signed Bregman — the reigning Gold Glover winner at the position — this spring, Devers said: “Third base is my position.”
“We had conversations throughout spring training, and he was very vocal about how he felt,” Cora told the radio station. “We made a decision: Alex is going to play third, Raffy’s going to DH.”
Cora said Devers has been working to understand the routine as a designated hitter. He will bat second, with Bregman batting third.
“I think having Alex behind him is going to benefit him,” Cora said. “I expect a great season from Raffy.”
The changes mean Masataka Yoshida, who played all but one game as DH last season, is looking for a spot in the lineup. He still has three years and almost $56 million left on his contract.
Reporting by The Associated Press.
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