Rafael Devers Apologizes to Tony Vitello for Pinch-Runner Controversy, Calls it 'Blown Out of Proportion'

Two days after trying to reject a pinch-runner in the ninth inning of a one-run game , San Francisco Giants slugger Rafael Devers said he apologized to manager Tony Vitello, he told reporters Tuesday. Devers called it a misunderstanding and the two sides seem to have agreed that the matter is over, and they're moving on.

"I just thought he was taking me out of my game because of my hamstring," Devers said in Spanish through interpreter Erwin Higueros (via The Athletic ). "And if he felt I was disrespecting him, that's why I went into his office and I apologized to him."

He also tried to blame the media for blowing the incident "out of proportion."

Devers drew a walk leading off the ninth inning of Sunday's loss to the Miami Marlins ( SF 2, MIA 1 ). The speedy Jonah Cox came out of the dugout to pinch-run, a perfectly understandable strategic move, but Devers tried to wave him off. Devers eventually left the field, then slammed his helmet in the dugout as he made his way into the clubhouse.

"He was signaling over to us that he's good to run," Vitello said after the game . "We DHed him the first game (of the series on Friday) after the day off just because -- from running, from baserunning -- some soreness in his leg. He's good to go. Part of it too is you know how competitive he is. He wanted to stay in the game."

Vitello's first season with the Giants has been rocky, to say the least. The team is well out of postseason contention at 32-46, and  Vitello, who was hired away from the University of Tennessee, has looked amateur-ish at times. He gave the club a "fire and brimstone" speech before Opening Day and also chalked up his first MLB ejection to old college grudges .

Sunday's incident was a Devers thing more than a Vitello thing, but it came off as disrespectful and immature, two things you don't often see from a player and a team that is on the same page as its manager. As outsiders, we can never truly know the inner workings of the clubhouse, but things look less than copacetic in San Francisco.

"I'll probably sit down with him, and from talking from Tony, I think he understands … setting the right example as a leader in that clubhouse," president of baseball operations Buster Posey said Tuesday. "Everybody has missteps. You can even point to leaders from everywhere. Everybody has missteps. So, I don't think you can have an instant like that and say that he's not a good teammate."

Devers went 0 for 3 with the walk in Sunday's loss. He started the season slowly, but, since May 1, he's hitting .260/.335/.525 with nine home runs in 47 games. That is more or less the Rafael Devers we've seen for most of his career.

Add CBS Sports on Google Join the Conversation comments

_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/rafael-devers-tony-vitello-giants-pinch-runner-apology/)._