Rafael Devers has yet to play first base in a Major League Baseball game, but that’s going to change pretty soon. A lifelong third baseman, Devers has exclusively played at designated hitter this season, appearing without a glove in all 81 games that he’s played in, which includes eight for the San Francisco Giants.
But the slugger, acquired in a trade a week and a half ago, has been taking grounders at first base, and is nearing a debut there. The Giants have been careful with ramping up Devers to first base — understandable given how his tenure with the Boston Red Sox ended — but they’re nearing a point of comfort.