Spring training has been anything but smooth sailing for the Boston Red Sox down in Fort Myers. The arrival of Alex Bregman in free agency was supposed to be a slam dunk.
He’s a right-handed power bat built for Fenway Park, a proven postseason performer, and a young, developing squad leader. But there was just one little problem: Rafael Devers. Boston’s homegrown star made it crystal clear that he had no interest in giving up third base for his new teammate.
While Bregman has handled the situation with textbook professionalism—saying all the right things, hitting well, and serving as a mentor—Devers and a few others in the clubhouse haven’t exactly made life easy for the front office. That’s led to plenty of speculation about how the team will navigate this situation heading into Opening Day.
Here’s the deal: the problem might just solve itself in the short term. But don’t get too excited because the reason for that could be bad news for Boston’s 2025 campaign.
Devers’ Shoulder Issue: More Than Just Rust?
Devers ended 2024 on the sidelines with shoulder discomfort. The Red Sox, ever the optimists, assured everyone it was nothing structural—just some inflammation that rest and rehab would take care of.
The plan was simple: take the winter off, heal up, and get back to full strength for spring training. Except that hasn’t happened.
Devers was already late in arriving at baseball activities, and now, just weeks from Opening Day, he still isn’t game-ready. According to Ian Browne of MLB.com, Devers was originally slated to make his spring debut on Wednesday, but that plan has now been scrapped.
The reason? He still doesn’t feel “up to speed at the plate” in live batting practice. That’s not the kind of update Red Sox fans were hoping for.
What This Means for the Red Sox Infield
The silver lining—if you can call it that—is that this development simplifies Red Sox’s immediate decision at third base.
If Devers isn’t 100%, the team can start him on the IL or at DH, keeping the bat in the lineup without putting extra strain on his shoulder. That would allow Bregman to take over third while Vaughn Grissom or David Hamilton slots in at second.
That’s a manageable short-term fix. But the long-term picture is more concerning.
Can Boston Win Without a Healthy Devers?
Let’s be real—this team’s ceiling is only as high as Devers takes it. A full-strength Devers is an MVP-caliber bat, a key piece in Boston’s lineup that can carry the offense for weeks at a time.
But a compromised Devers? That’s a completely different equation that shifts even more pressure onto Bregman, Triston Casas, and a lineup already full of question marks.
If Boston wants to make a serious push in 2025, it needs its slugging third baseman at full strength. And right now, there’s real reason to doubt whether that’s going to happen anytime soon.
