When the Boston Red Sox traded star hitter Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants last month, it was likely—in part—because of his refusal to play where the team needed him to as they dealt with an influx of injuries at the corners. Given that, the team was probably pretty irked when the three-time All-Star immediately told reporters in the Bay Area that he's there to "play wherever they want me to play."
Apparently, however, that doesn't seem to be entirely true.
In a recent interview on WEEI Sports Radio's WEEI Afternoons, Red Sox play-by-play broadcaster Will Flemming suggested that Devers isn't all-in on playing first base—and even stood up a Giants legend who arrived at the facility to work out with him.
"They don't yet know what is going to happen with the player," he explained. "I was there the second day [after the trade]. Will Clark was there to work on ground balls with him at first base, and Raffy didn't show up. So that's the person that [the Red Sox] have been dealing with for a long time."
"You had to move on"
— WEEI Afternoons (@WEEIAfternoons) July 7, 2025
Red Sox play-by-play broadcaster @WillFlemming weighs in on why the Red Sox traded Rafael Devers pic.twitter.com/cMqmgowXyH
While not a great look, the San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser posted on X (formerly Twitter) around the same time that Clark and Devers planned to "start working on 1B tomorrow, today is just for getting acquainted."
In 20 games since his arrival with the Giants, Devers has still only played DH, is slashing .240/.348/.387 with just two home runs and 9 RBI, and has struck out 28 times.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Rafael Devers Reportedly Stood Up Giants Legend Will Clark For a First Base Workout.
