Triston Casas is no stranger to voicing his opinions and branching out from conventional norms across MLB. 

As such, it should come as little surprise that the Red Sox first baseman was candid and upfront when reacting to teammate Rafael Devers’ comments from Monday afternoon. 

Devers created a stir in Fort Myers when he seemingly rejected the notion that he’d switch to DH for the 2025 season — even if that move would allow new signing Alex Bregman to move over to his usual position at third base.

“Third base is my position,” Devers told reporters. “It’s what I’ve played. I don’t know what their plans are. I know we had a conversation. I made it clear, kind of what my desires were and whatever happens from here, I don’t know.”

Even though Devers has played his entire career at third, his defensive numbers have left a lot to be desired — especially when contrasted with the play of Bregman, who won a Gold Glove at third during the 2024 season.

While Bregman finished last year with a plus-6 Outs Above Average last season with Houston, Devers posted a negative-6 Outs Above Average with the Red Sox — with the 28-year-old infielder leading the AL in errors at third every single season since 2018.

But even with the defensive deficiencies present on the Red Sox infield if Devers remains at third in 2025, Casas told reporters Tuesday that Devers should stick at third for the foreseeable future. 

“I think it’s Raffy Devers’ position,” Casas said Tuesday of Devers playing at third. “I think he’s the third baseman. And at that point, that’s where it stands. He’s done it for a really long time now. And I think he’s only getting better at that position. I think his defense is getting better every single year. We don’t know what the future holds but we know it holds Raffy Devers. So I think he’s gotta play defense. It’s going to keep him athletic. And he’s going to hit because of him being at third base.

“He doesn’t know any other position. He doesn’t want to play any other position. And he’s going to fight for it even if it’s with any of the younger guys, any new guy. I think he’s the best third baseman in the league. I wouldn’t take anybody over him. So I think he should play third base.”

As for Bregman, Casas believes that Bregman would still offer value to the Red Sox’ defense despite being moved off of third. 

“I think Bregman should play second base,” Casas said. “I think he’s going to make the transition well. I think he’s athletic enough and I think Trevor (Story) is gonna play an awesome shortstop.”

Even though Alex Cora noted earlier this winter that Bregman had the ability to be a Gold Glove second baseman, the 30-year-old infielder has only started nine of his 1,111 career games in the big leagues at second. 

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Bregman attempted to diffuse some of the drama regarding a position battle between himself and Devers — acknowledging that he wasn’t surprised by Devers’ candid comments.

“I think everybody here believes in their abilities,” Bregman said, per MassLive’s Chris Cotillo. “I think all of us believe that if we all put together a good effort this season, we have a really good chance of being a winning baseball team. I can only talk for myself but I’ll play wherever helps the team win.”

“I’m super excited to just be his teammate. He’s a great player. I think everybody in this clubhouse is worried about winning. Whatever it takes to help the team win, that’s all I’m focused on. I’ll play wherever [Alex Cora] tells me to play.”

As Cora and the Red Sox continue to assess their options across the infield during spring training, Boston’s manager acknowledged Tuesday that there isn’t any bad blood between Bregman and Devers. 

“It didn’t look that way yesterday at [my] house,” Cora said of any awkwardness between the two players. “They were talking for 45 minutes. Things like this happen. Obviously, we play in this market and it’s big. … Guys have their ideas. They’re proud. They say the things they do. At the end, it’s not about Alex or Raffy or A.C. It’s about the Boston Red Sox.” 

“The communication between them is good. We’ll take care of all that stuff whenever we have to.”