Rafael Devers returns to Fenway, but not interested in revisiting icy end to Red Sox tenure

BOSTON (AP) — With a haze of clouds and a light rain falling overhead, Rafael Devers emerged from the visitors' dugout at Fenway Park for the first time on Friday afternoon.

After taking a few minutes to sign autographs for fans wearing his San Francisco Giants jersey, and others donned in that of the Boston Red Sox team he wore for eight-plus years prior to his blockbuster trade 14 months ago.

Devers said his memories of his time in Boston flowed when he arrived at the ballpark, but so did his desire not to revisit the up-and-down tenure with his former team.

“I don’t want to think about the past, I don’t want to talk about the past,” Devers said through an interpreter before the Giants’ matchup with the Red Sox. “But at the same time, we’re all men, we’re all grownups and you have to understand that this is the business of baseball. But at the same time, you make mistakes and you have to move on and mature.”

It’s a far cry from the icy way his tenure ended last June with the Red Sox team he helped win the 2018 World Series with ended.

Devers’ relationship with the franchise began to sour in February 2025 when the team signed Gold Glove third baseman Alex Bregman during spring training and asked Devers to move to DH; he balked before agreeing to the switch.

But when first baseman Triston Casas later sustained a season-ending knee injury, the Red Sox approached Devers about playing the field and he declined, saying the front office “should do their jobs” and look for another player.

It came to a head when the Red Sox traded the three-time All-Star to the Giants less than two years after signing Devers to a 10-year, $313.5 million contract.

Boston received a small haul in exchange in right-hander Jordan Hicks, lefty Kyle Harrison, outfield prospect James Tibbs III and minor league righty Jose Bello.

It was a move, though, that Red Sox president Sam Kennedy said the front office deemed necessary.

“We worked at it. We had a different vision for him going forward than he had, and we couldn’t get there. We couldn’t find alignment,” Kennedy said at the time. “And we reached that inflection point and made the decision to make a big move.”

A little over a year later Boston has gone through even more of an upheaval that included Bregman leaving in free agency and the firing of former manager Alex Cora in April following a 10-17 start.

Since then, the Red Sox have caught fire and have climbed back firmly into postseason position with a 15-game winning streak and MLB-best 22-11 mark since the All-Star break.

Meanwhile, San Francisco has struggled, entering Boston with a 52-75 record. Devers is leading the team with 25 home runs and 31 RBIs but also has a team-high 141 strikeouts.

Ironically, Devers has been playing a lot of first base this season, though he did have a notable dustup with Giants manager Tony Vitello in June when he initially brushed off a pinch runner and then angrily headed into the dugout.

That aside, Devers said he is finding a home with the Giants.

“I can’t compare (the two teams),” Devers said. “The only thing I can say is that is my team, I’ve very comfortable, they have supported me, they have trusted. I’m just hoping to continue doing well for them.”

He said he has no regrets about how his time in Boston came to an end.

“I feel really good. It’s been a year. I think I have matured there in a year,” Devers said. “I think I have learned as an athlete there are things that are going to happen. What you have to do is move forward and learn from that.”

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