ATLANTA (AP) — Rafael Devers started at first base for the San Francisco Giants at Atlanta on Tuesday night, the slugger’s first appearance at the position that he refused to play for his prior team, the Boston Red Sox.
Devers handled his first chance cleanly, catching a routine throw from second baseman Casey Schmitt for the final out of the second inning.
Boston traded Devers to San Francisco in June after his relationship with management deteriorated less than two years into a 10-year, $313.5 million contract he signed in 2023.
The Red Sox signed Gold Glove third baseman Alex Bregman during spring training and asked Devers to move to designated hitter. He balked before agreeing to the switch, but when Boston first baseman Triston Casas suffered a season-ending injury, the Red Sox approached Devers about playing the position and he declined.
After the trade, Devers started working out at first base and said he would be happy to play there as soon as he felt comfortable. Asked why he was willing to play the position for the Giants and not the Red Sox, Devers said he felt he had “earned some respect” because of his production in Boston, adding that he would have made the switch if the Red Sox had asked at the beginning of spring training.
Devers has struggled since the move to the West Coast, batting .219 with two homers and 10 RBIs in 29 games for the Giants, all at DH. He batted .272 with 15 homers and 58 RBIs in 73 games for Boston.
A three-time All-Star, Devers is a .277 batter with 217 homers in nine seasons.
The Giants took a six-game losing streak into their meeting with the Braves that dropped them to 52-49, 3 1/2 games out of a wild-card playoff spot. San Francisco ranked 23rd in the majors in runs per game.
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