The Boston Red Sox sent Rafael Devers packing in a blockbuster trade to the San Francisco Giants that shook up the landscape of the league. One guy who could be impacted by this trade is former All-Star third baseman Matt Chapman.
One of the biggest questions that popped up as a result of this trade is where Devers will end up playing for the Giants. As Red Sox fans know far too well, Devers was not happy with getting moved from position to position this year.
At third base is Chapman, who is one of the best defenders in the majors, not just at third base. Moving him off of third base in favor of Devers doesn’t seem like a move San Francisco is considering, which raises questions about where he will play.
The easy answer would be to just stick him at designated hitter, which is where he spent all his time for Boston prior to this trade. Or, he could play first base, which is something he has seemed open to doing after completely shutting it down when the Red Sox asked him to play there in the wake of Triston Casas’ season-ending injury.
To start off his tenure in San Francisco, Devers has played designated hitter, but he’s also taking grounders at first base ahead of games in preparation of a potential move to that position. When asked about Devers’ arrival, Chapman made it clear that he thinks his new teammate will be able to pick up his new position quite easily.
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“He’s gonna be just fine over there,” Chapman said in reference to Devers’ move to first base.
Chapman is currently on the injured list due to sprained ligaments in his right hand, so it’s telling that the Giants have not used Devers at third base in his absence. Prior to his injury, Chapman was hitting .243 with 12 home runs and 30 RBIs for San Fran this season.
For now, it looks like Devers is set to remain at designated hitter, but soon enough, he figures to be playing first base. The Red Sox will face off against their old friend this weekend, as they will kick off a series against the Giants on Friday at 10:15 p.m. ET.
