Cora rules out Devers replacing Casas at 1B: 'He's my DH'

The Boston Red Sox will look at a variety of options to replace Triston Casas at first base. Rafael Devers won't be one of them.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora made it clear Saturday that Devers, who was reportedly being considered as a first base option during the offseason, will not be grabbing a trapper's mitt any time soon.

"From my end, right now, no," Cora said, according to MassLive's Chris Cotillo. "We asked him to do something in spring training. In the beginning, he didn't agree with it. Now, he's very comfortable doing what he's doing. Like I told you guys in spring training, he's my DH.

"It's not delicate at all. We made a decision. We talked to him. He's a DH."

First base was thrown into flux for the Red Sox when Casas ruptured his patella tendon while running out a ground ball in Friday's game. Casas is not expected to return this season.

Devers is a natural third baseman but has been viewed as a first baseman-in-waiting in some corners due to his player profile and defensive struggles at the hot corner. Talk about his potentially moving across the diamond ramped up over the winter as the Red Sox reportedly began shopping Casas while also chasing star third basemen Alex Bregman and Nolan Arenado.

After signing Bregman in February and retaining Casas, the Red Sox opted to move Devers into a full-time DH role. The 28-year-old, who inked a 10-year, $313.5-million extension in 2023, initially rejected the move but has since embraced his new role. After a slow start, he entered Saturday hitting .242/.365/.445 with five homers, 21 RBIs, and an AL-best 25 walks.

The timing of Casas' injury may also be playing a role in keeping the three-time All-Star third baseman at DH. Cora said he has no desire to throw Devers, or any other player with limited to no experience playing there, into the fire at the position with no chance to get comfortable.

"We've been through that act before, moving people around and playing guys at first base who never played first base," Cora said. "It wasn't good. The effort was there. I appreciated (ex-Red Sox outfielder) Franchy (Cordero) playing first. Kyle (Schwarber), of course, we needed to play first (in 2021), but he wasn't a first baseman. ... It's a tough position to play."

For now, the Red Sox will go forward with Romy Gonzalez and Abraham Toro as their primary first basemen, with Gonzalez seeing the bulk of action. Additional depth options in the minors include Nick Sogard, Blake Sabol, and Vaughn Grissom; veteran catcher Yasmani Grandal is also at Triple-A and has played 97 games at first.

"We'll give Romy some at-bats. We will. I want to see how it works out," Cora said. "Defensively, he has been solid. Offensively, he has been good. It's an opportunity for him to go out there and perform. I don't want him to feel like this is it, that this is his chance to shine. Just do your part. Don’t try to be somebody you're not."