Red Sox must attempt uncomfortable move to field their best team

Alex Bregman is off to his best career start, Kristian Campbell is at the forefront of the American League Rookie of the Year Race and Rafael Devers has found his footing as the Boston Red Sox's designated hitter.

Still, somehow, their offense needs a jolt. They're running away with the AL lead in strikeouts (340 after 37 games) and have struggled with runners in scoring position. There's a spark plug in Boston's system who could help it right now, with a bit of roster shuffling necessary.

If the Red Sox move Devers to first base to free up the DH slot, they could use Masataka Yoshida to wake the offense. Devers may not be inclined to switch positions again after his high-profile move off third base this offseason, but Boston wouldn't know — Red Sox manager Alex Cora shared on May 6 that he has not approached Devers about returning to the field to play first base, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive. Cora said he has no plans to discuss another move with him, either.

Yoshida has been rehabbing from offseason labrum surgery since spring training, and he still can't throw from the outfield, where the Sox planned to play him to use Devers as the DH. But with Triston Casas out of the picture for the rest of the year, a vacancy at first base gives Devers a chance to return to the field and Yoshida to the batting order, where his bat-to-ball skills could reduce strikeouts among Boston's bats.

Red Sox at least need to ask if Rafael Devers will move to first base

Devers may not be open to another position change, however, He's avoided interviews with Red Sox beat writers since Casas' injury, likely because he knows what the line of questioning will be. If he doesn't want to move to first base, Boston can't, and shouldn't force him to do it, especially after it purposely misled him before his move to DH.

But it doesn't hurt to ask. Countless third basemen have become first basemen later in their careers, including some notable Red Sox. Devers may want to prove he can play the field after Bregman took over his eight-year post at third base.

If the Red Sox ask Devers to play first base and he declines, they need to find an external option to fill in. If he agrees, adding Yoshida's bat to the lineup in the DH spot could be just the lift Boston needs (or part of it, when Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer are eventually called up). Yoshida has slashed .285/.343/.433 over 248 games in his first two seasons with the Sox, which is less than the team hoped for, but he's still one of their most reliable bats.

The Red Sox are not fielding their best team and haven't tried to do so. Boston had the easiest start to its season of any club in MLB and still posted an 18-19 record due to inconsistent pitching and unimpressive offense. The front office could easily fix the latter with a few roster moves, and its unwillingness to try is concerning.