Boston Red Sox
“Things happen in the game. Other than that, that’s my boy. That’s a kid I got to meet when he was 15.”
David Ortiz is changing his tune on Rafael Devers. Photo by Matthew J Lee/Globe staff
Red Sox legend David Ortiz didn’t hold back last season when asked about Rafael Devers and the events that led to his shocking trade to the Giants in June 2025.
“So, you were one of the third basemen last year who played the worst defense, and you’re going to show up to training out of shape,” Ortiz said on Instagram Live last summer after Devers’ fractured relationship with the Red Sox led to a deal. “They bring in a Gold Glove third baseman because of the deficit you had last year, and you say they’re disrespecting you. No, man, that’s not how you look at baseball.”
Despite those candid comments about the former Red Sox star, Ortiz appears to have changed his tone about Devers — based on his recent interview on the “Baseball Isn’t Boring” podcast with WEEI’s Rob Bradford.
“I haven’t talked to him, but he talked to a friend of mine. I have so much love and respect for Devers,” Ortiz told Bradford. “Things happen in the game. Other than that, that’s my boy. That’s a kid I got to meet when he was 15. I’m always going to cheer for him. I’m always going to have love and respect for him, because he’s a great player. Sometimes as a player we think we have everything figured out until somebody steps in and lets you know what’s up.
“I think what happened with him here, he learned from it. He took it as a lesson and that’s just going to make him a better player and continue to be the beast he is. I’m always wishing him the best. I love watching him hit. That’s something that is unquestionable. I always wish him the best.”
Ortiz expressed frustration with Devers throughout the 2025 season after the former third baseman voiced his disapproval over getting knocked off the hot corner after Boston signed Alex Bregman in free agency.
Things unraveled for both Devers and the Red Sox after starting first baseman Triston Casas suffered a season-ending knee injury in early May. Despite the evident vacancy in Boston’s infield, Devers refused to switch positions once again from DH to first base — eventually leading to his trade.
“He needs to know that he’s an important piece for this organization,” Ortiz said of Devers in June 2025 ahead of the trade. “He’s doing what he was asked. But yeah, I think he should just think about what would be better for the organization, him at first or him as the DH, and go from there. But we have to give him some time.”
But with Devers now looking for a clean slate in San Francisco, it seems as if Ortiz also wants to turn the page.
“Listen, even in the biggest family, [expletive] happens,” Ortiz told Bradford. The baseball relationships you build with people it comes and it goes. But at the end of the day, it’s nothing personal. It’s nothing to hurt anybody’s feeling. It’s just the momentum that carries over during the season, during the games.”
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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