MLB Player News

Devers said Thursday that he declined a request from team management to play first base, Ken Powtak of MLB.com reports. "They had the conversation with me," Devers said through a team interpreter. "I don't think, for me personally, it's the best decision after they asked me to play a different position."

Alex Cora had previously indicated he wasn't even going to ask Devers if he would be willing to move from designated hitter to first base, and instead, the manager allowed Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow to make the request. After a slow start to the season, Devers has been locked in at the plate since late April, going 18-for-47 with four home runs, four doubles, 11 RBI and eight runs scored over the last 12 games. Devers' insistence on not switching positions leaves Boston without a clear starter at first base in the wake of a season-ending knee injury to Triston Casas.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Thursday that Gonzalez (back) is still sore but believes the infielder will be ready at some point this weekend, MLB.com reports.

Gonzalez was held out of Thursday's series finale against Rangers after sustaining a back injury Wednesday when he ran into Texas first baseman Josh Smith. Abraham Toro started at first base for the Red Sox on Thursday.

Crawford (knee) threw a live bullpen session Tuesday and will do so again Friday, MLB.com reports.

Crawford is at Boston's spring training complex in Fort Myers, preparing for the next phase of his recovery. Following the live bullpen sessions, the next step should be to pitch in extended spring training games before the Red Sox consider a rehab assignment. The club estimates a mid-June return for the right-hander.

Walls went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and was caught stealing in Thursday's game against the Phillies.

Walls started his fifth straight game at shortstop and has gone 7-for-17 at the plate in that span. He also has four runs scored in that stretch, while raising his average to .205. As the latter number indicates, Walls is a light hitter, limiting his fantasy appeal even if he continues to get consistent at-bats.

Diaz went 1-for-5 with a three-run home run Thursday against the Phillies.

Diaz slotted into the leadoff spot for the second straight game since returning from a hip injury -- both of which came against lefties. He popped his sixth home run of the season in the seventh inning, his third in his last seven games. Diaz now has a .174 ISO across 163 plate appearances, which would be good for the second-highest mark of his career.

Green picked up the save in Thursday's 8-5 win over the Angels after throwing a clean ninth inning. He struck out two.

Closer Jeff Hoffman, who had worked each of the past two days and gave up six runs across those outings, unsurprisingly didn't get the call in Thursday's save situation, and it was Green who recorded his first save of the year. Setup man Yimi Garcia has also struggled lately, having yielded seven runs over his last two appearances, but Green is still unlikely to see more than the occasional save opportunity while Toronto's top two bullpen arms work to get back on track. Through 17.1 innings in 2025, Green holds a 3.63 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 17:4 K:BB.

Guerrero went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and a walk in Thursday's win over the Angels.

Guerrero extended his hitting streak to 10 games and delivered his third multi-hit effort during the streak. The All-Star first baseman is batting sizzling .359 (14-for-39) with two homers, one double, six RBI and nine runs scored in those 10 contests. Although Guerrero has just four round trippers over 139 at-bats this season, his top-tier 54.2 percent hard-hit rate entering Thursday's action suggests some positive regression could be on the horizon in the power department.

Bassitt (3-2) earned the win Thursday against the Angels after allowing five runs (four earned) on eight hits and one walk in six innings. He struck out six.

Bassitt may have given up a season-high five runs Thursday, but that didn't prevent him from throwing at least five innings in his eighth consecutive start to begin the campaign. While the right-hander matched a season worst with eight hits allowed and served up two long balls in his third straight outing, he issued one walk or less for the sixth time already this year. Bassitt will carry a solid 3.35 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 49:8 K:BB over 45.2 innings into his next scheduled appearance at home versus the Rays, who have struggled with a .624 OPS over their 12 road games.

Soriano didn't factor into the decision Thursday against the Blue Jays after allowing three runs on eight hits and four walks in five innings. He struck out six.

Soriano notably escaped a bases-loaded jam in the opening frame, but he tied a season high in walks Thursday. The right-hander has been erratic so far in 2025, as he's hurled at least six innings while giving up one run or less on three occasions but failed to make it through six innings while yielding at least three runs in his other five appearances. Soriano will be a risky fantasy play in his next scheduled start against the Padres next week, as he owns a rocky 4.00 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 37:20 K:BB over 45 innings on the campaign.

Martin (hamstring) was placed on the 7-day injured list at Triple-A St. Paul on Thursday, the Minnesota Star Tribune reports.

Martin was activated from Triple-A St. Paul's 7-day injured list Tuesday but reinjured his hamstring while scoring on a double-steal in his return to the lineup. Martin initially suffered the injury April 10 and missed nearly a month before returning to action.