Buster Posey was recently as direct as he could be with reporters about how the San Francisco Giants may plan to use Rafael Devers to contribute on both sides of the game — offense and defense. It’s a level of flexibility Devers reportedly wasn’t open to during his time with the Red Sox.
Essentially, the Giants want Devers to play across the infield. “There’s the possibility to play third some with [Matt] Chapman out, to get some in at first, and DH…“ Posey said when discussing Devers’ role with reporters.
“By all accounts… he’s a winner. He wants to do what he can to help the team,” Posey continued. “Obviously there was some back and forth with him and the Red Sox and I don’t have all the details of where things went sideways, but he’s excited to be in San Francisco and help our team win.”
Posey was anxious leading up to Devers’ arrival
Devers’ trade from the Red Sox to the Giants brought back old feelings for Posey — a level of anxiety he hadn’t felt since his playing days, when he would get nervous before taking the field for the Giants, where he played from 2009 to 2021.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 01: Buster Posey #28 of the San Francisco Giants fields the ball and throws to first base to get an out on Jake Cronenworth #9 of the San Diego Padres in the top of the first inning at Oracle Park on October 01, 2021 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
“I was telling [my wife] Kristen yesterday morning as this was coming together, ‘I kind of have some of the same anxiety that I had before every single game.’ So it was a fun feeling — it was exciting.”
Why didn’t Devers want to play infield for the Red Sox?
The situation has been widely discussed, but the general understanding is that Devers was unhappy with how the Red Sox organization handled him — reportedly asking him to switch to infield duties overnight, something he disagreed with. He also appeared upset when a rookie volunteered to take over a position he had declined.
“According to multiple sources, Devers was also upset when the rookie Campbell volunteered to play first base this season — interpreting it as a slight to his own stature,” Joon Lee wrote on X.
