On Sunday, Rafael Devers showed disrespect to his manager. How? By refusing to leave the game when Tony Vitello wanted to bring in a pinch runner to replace him.
The Giants haven't spoken publicly about the incident, and that's how it's remained.
Two days later—today—Devers finally offered an explanation—something he didn't bother to do on Sunday, given that he rarely speaks to the media.
Seeing the uproar on social media, he wanted to set the record straight by saying that two days earlier, he had told his manager he was feeling some pain. He thought that was why he was being pulled from the game and wanted to let his manager know that he was feeling fine.
Devers later said he apologized to Tony Vitello and “didn't mean to be disrespectful” toward him.
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) June 23, 2026
The story makes sense. I'm not sure I believe it, but it makes sense.
The problem is that by not speaking out on Sunday or Monday, Devers let the story blow up in the public eye—even though he had apologized to Vitello in private.
And the other problem is the second part of the Giants' power hitter's response to the media in the last few hours.
Basically, he added that he rarely speaks to the media and that this turns them against him. He added that it's because they exaggerate that this story has blown up so much.
A very candid Rafael Devers after explaining what happened on Sunday to the media…
“The media, in general, you guys just blow everything out of proportion, and I think that's a reflection of why I really don't talk to you guys.”
(Via: @KNBR) pic.twitter.com/5RjITaRODo
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) June 23, 2026
Keep in mind that he said this… to the media.
Devers is in the midst of a rough season on a team that's poorly managed from top to bottom. He couldn't afford to criticize the media while he was at it… but he did.
Buster Posey, whose credibility is eroding with each passing day, hadn't even spoken to his player by the time he met with the media. Come on!
Nothing is going right in San Francisco, where all the veterans (except Logan Webb) could be traded within a month.
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