Rafael Devers finally made his long-awaited return to Fenway Park on Friday, and the San Francisco Giants slugger was blunt in his assessment of how his Boston Red Sox tenure ended.
Asked if he had any regrets about the way his final months in Boston played out, Devers replied: "No."
"I don't want to think about the past," he added later through an interpreter, according to WEEI's Rob Bradford. "I don't want to talk about the past, but at the same time, we're all men, we're all grown-ups. We have to understand this is the business of baseball, but at the same time, you make mistakes and you have to move on and mature."
The Red Sox stunned baseball by trading Devers to the Giants last June, as he was barely two years into a 10-year, $313.5-million extension. His exit from Beantown was clouded by controversy stemming from a position change and tension with the organization.
Devers helped the Red Sox earn their most recent World Series title in 2018 and spent nine years as a franchise pillar at third base. However, the signing of Alex Bregman in February 2025 pushed Devers into a full-time DH role, which reportedly left him upset. He initially bristled at the team's request but later agreed and continued to produce offensively.
Just two months later, though, the two-time Silver Slugger winner rejected a move to first base following Triston Casas' injury. He then publicly criticized chief baseball officer Craig Breslow for asking him to switch positions, prompting owner John Henry to meet with Devers and clear the air. While he remained a full-time DH for the next month, the situation continued to hang over the team and eventually paved the way for his departure.
Devers was asked how he'd like to be remembered by Red Sox fans:
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) August 21, 2026
"I really don't know but what I'd like to say is that I play baseball the right way. I play very hard. I always give 100% for the team."
In San Francisco, Devers has embraced the position change and has now become the team's primary first baseman. Life at the hot corner is now firmly in the rearview mirror for the 29-year-old.
"Every single day that I play first base, I feel very comfortable," Devers said. "I want to thank (Giants infield coach Ron Washington) for working with me. I had a lot of support here, so I feel very comfortable."
Despite emphasizing that he wouldn't change how things played out in Boston, Devers did acknowledge that he's grown as a player since the last time he was at Fenway Park.
"I feel really good. I think it's been a year. I think I have matured during that year," he said. "I think that I have learned, as an athlete, things are going to happen, and what you have to do is just move forward and learn from that."
