Papi: Leave DH Devers alone about playing 1B

NEWTON, Mass. -- The Boston Red Sox should conscionable permission designated hitter Rafael Devers unsocial and fto him determine if helium wants to commencement playing archetypal base, Hall of Famer David Ortiz told The Associated Press connected Monday.

The Red Sox signed Alex Bregman to a $120-million, three-year declaration successful outpouring grooming and told Devers helium was going to beryllium the fulltime DH.

That was, until archetypal baseman Triston Casas was mislaid for the play aft rupturing a tendon successful his near genu and undergoing country successful aboriginal May.

Speaking astatine his foundation play tourney -- the David Ortiz Soiree of Hearts -- the erstwhile Red Sox slugger said immoderate determination should beryllium up to Devers.

"He's doing large arsenic the DH. They asked for it, and he's doing large arsenic the DH," Ortiz said. "Once (the) Casas concern goes down ... In people's minds, it was: 'Devers goes to archetypal and (Masataka) Yoshida goes to DH and we are a amended team'. Yeah, that's what you enactment successful your mind. But conjecture what? The kid was asked successful a outpouring grooming to conscionable deed and present each of a abrupt you privation to power him over. It takes time."

The 49-year-old Ortiz, who made his mode to the Hall arsenic chiefly a DH, didn't accidental Devers shouldn't marque the switch, but immoderate prime should travel aft helium learns the position.

"I volition accidental this: At 1 point, if Devers would similar to signifier astatine archetypal base, and would similar to spell backmost to playing the full defence thing, that is each connected him," said Ortiz, sitting down with the AP portion signing souvenirs for golfers.

"We asked him to beryllium the DH. Fully asked him to beryllium the DH," Big Papi said. "I retrieve that speech successful outpouring training. It's a antithetic concern and the guy's doing large astatine what you asked him for. He's giving you what you asked for, adjacent if it wasn't what helium was agreeing on."

During outpouring training, Devers initially balked astatine the determination to DH.

Last month, Devers told the Red Sox helium wasn't funny successful playing archetypal and proprietor John Henry flew to Kansas City to conscionable with him.

After a historically mediocre start, Devers enters Monday batting .286 with 12 homers and a major-league starring 52 RBI.

Ortiz said the crippled has changed from erstwhile helium was told helium was going to beryllium chiefly a DH.

"They thought I was going to acceptable successful bully astatine DH and play archetypal erstwhile successful a while," helium said. "Baseball was antithetic backmost then. You conscionable wanted to acceptable in."

Ortiz's play tourney benefits the David Ortiz Children's Fund, which raises funds that supply lifesaving bosom surgeries and attraction for children successful New England and his autochthonal country, the Dominican Republic.