The Boston Red Sox have found themselves amid a clubhouse circus, and the ringleader might not be who you think. In a saga that’s quickly turning from baseball drama to organizational meltdown, star slugger Rafael Devers has ignited a storm, not with his bat, but with his bluntness. Now, instead of solving lineup puzzles, leadership may need to schedule something a little closer to therapy.

It looks like Rafael Devers has decided that he is going to be in the spotlight both on and off the field. After the initial drama between him and Alex Bregman, people thought it was over. They were right, with Bregman, it was over. And now, reports say that the opponent is the coaching staff.

With an injury to Triston Casas, Alex Cora and the coaching staff asked Devers to put on the gloves and get ready to play first base. Devers had one answer: NO. After this, a huge uproar was heard coming from Boston. Now, MLB insider Mike Rodriguez has come out and said that this is wrong and CBO Craig Breslow is to blame.

In his X post, he said, “I just had a conversation with a top MLB executive, whose name I won’t reveal out of professional ethics. He told me that Devers’s problem stems from the GM poor communication skills, that just as players have sports psychologists, their staff should also be treated.”

He continued to say that at the start of the season, Devers was told that he was playing with the bat only. Now, asking him to play first is unfair, especially with no time to prepare. Rodriguez points out that, forget the time to prepare, they are still asking him to play out of position, and there is no way that Devers was going to agree to that.

The question that haunts people now is, shouldn’t an experienced player who has been playing for the Red Sox for years be able to adjust for the team?

But here lies the million-dollar question, or rather, $313.5 million question: Should loyalty mean flexibility, or just a longer leash? At some point, the Red Sox will have to decide if they paid for a cornerstone or a co-star. Rafael Devers, for all his bat speed, isn’t sprinting toward leadership. And if the front office can’t communicate better, maybe they need a glove—because right now, they’re dropping the ball.

Rafael Devers says no to first base, and now we know why

The Boston Red Sox have a problem money can’t fix and loyalty won’t solve—at least not with a glove. In a clubhouse already simmering from springtime shakeups, Rafael Devers has made it abundantly clear: There’s a limit to how far he’s willing to bend. And when the front office came knocking with yet another “simple” request, they got a firm, unfiltered answer—and not the one they wanted.

Rafael Devers has put his foot down—no more position changes. After being asked to move from designated hitter to first base, Rafael Devers instantly refused. “It doesn’t seem like a good decision,” he said, frustrated with yet another switch just months after leaving third base.

The refusal came after the Red Sox beat the Rangers 5-0 on Thursday. Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow approached Devers about filling in for the injured Triston Casas. Devers wasn’t having it. “I only had two months playing this position,” he pointed out, clearly upset with the timing.

Devers also hinted at broken promises from team management. “They said they won’t make further changes.” He believes the club should explore other market options. “Don’t expect me to play every single position,” Devers added, drawing a firm line this time.

And just like that, the Red Sox find themselves fielding more drama than ground balls. Devers isn’t just dodging first base—he’s calling out front-office whiplash with the precision of a gold glove. If leadership keeps moving pieces like a chessboard, they may soon find their clubhouse in checkmate.