Members of Boston Red Sox management met with Devers about the first base remarks

Red Sox majority shareholder John Henry, president Sam Kennedy and baseball president Craig Breslow flew together to Kansas City on Friday to meet with Rafael Devers ahead of the opening game of the series against the Royals in Boston in response to comments about his displeasure with the team's request to move to first base.

"It was actually John [Henry] who spoke directly to Lafite [Devers] and, based on what happened yesterday, he felt the need to be there in person and have a frank conversation about the values that we value as an organization – to be good teammates to each other," Breslo said, "and we think this conversation has been productive, as it is now." "

Thierry Henry, De Verss and manager Alex Cora were the only participants in Friday's meeting, which resulted in a delay of more than 80 minutes in pre-match media interviews. Devers didn't show up until just after 5 p.m. CT, when most of his teammates had already started passing and receiving the ball, and the scheduled time for hitting was long gone.

"It was a good conversation," Korra said, "and Devers expressed his feelings, and John made his position." Everyone knows who's in the room, and that carries weight in the dressing room. "

However, no decision was made on Devers' future defensive position. For now, he will continue to serve as the designated striker for the Red Sox and serve as the second batter in Friday's series opener.

"It's impossible to make that decision from an office couch at a Kansas City hotel, and discussions are ongoing," Breslo stressed.

Devers revealed Thursday that Red Sox management immediately discussed switching to first base after Triston Casas underwent surgery for a rupture of the patellar tendon in his left knee, which cost him his 2025 season. "They can't expect me to do everything," Defuss said of the change.

Devis, who has spent his career as a third-baseman for the majority, was asked to switch to designated striker during spring training after signing Alex Bregman for three years and $120 million in the Red Sox offseason. Despite initially wanting to stay on third base, he eventually accepted a new role before the regular season. But Devers made it clear Thursday that there was "no more compromise" on switching to first base.

"Obviously Raffi is frustrated with the status quo," Breslo said, "and my reaction is that there may be a misunderstanding in the communication, or that there needs to be a greater communication." This meeting is a step in the right direction. Most importantly, we believe this team has what it takes to win a lot of games and make a playoff run and we have to focus on that. "

Shortstop Trevor Story said he had not communicated directly with Defuss about the matter, saying the locker room was "not distracted by this." Storey stressed that the team is focused on beating the Royals and will communicate with Devers in the future: "We'll talk about that later. Emotions are still fresh and strong, but we are all adults and our differences will be resolved. In any case, winning is the common goal. "

Both Korra and Breslo reaffirmed their team's playoff competitiveness, emphasizing that the Red Sox are more focused on performance than off-court interference. That's exactly why management quickly dealt with the matter – to get the team back to the basics of baseball.

"Given the openness of yesterday's events, we have an opportunity to reaffirm the values that are vital to the club, the players, the coaching staff and the management," said Breslo. As a leader, you sometimes have to make tough decisions, but difficult conversations are no reason to escape – especially for players who have undergone a major role shift in recent months. "