Speculation about Rafael Devers’ future with the Boston Red Sox began as soon as the club signed Alex Bregman in free agency last month.

Bregman said he would play wherever the team needed him — and it’s clear that they needed him at third base, where he won a Gold Glove last season. Devers, who has been a mainstay at the hot corner for Boston since 2018, didn’t exactly take kindly to the team asking if he would be willing to move to DH to make room for Bregman at third.

“No,” Devers said repeatedly back in February, via Chris Cotillo of MassLive. “I play third.”

Well, Opening Day is just two days away, and Devers is decidedly not playing third.

Devers has, at least publicly, taken a more conciliatory approach over the past several weeks regarding the Red Sox’s plans to use him as a DH in 2025. Perhaps he has simply calmed down after the initial shock of it all; or, maybe he was told by organizational leadership to check his ego at the door.

Red Sox team president Sam Kennedy commended Devers’ approach and his newfound willingness to move off of third base.

“He’s put winning and the team above all else,” Kennedy said on MassLive’s “Fenway Rundown” podcast. “It doesn’t mean he is going to agree with every decision, doesn’t mean he is not one of the more competitive people on the planet. And as I said down in Florida, I think he’s the only player in uniform with a ring from 2018. This guy wants to win championships, and he’s a championship-caliber player.”

Are Kennedy’s comments merely his attempt at doing damage control after Devers reportedly debated asking for a trade after the Bregman signing? Probably. Coaches and executives often speak to their players through the media, and this could be Kennedy’s way of pumping Devers’ tires and letting him know that he is still a valued member of the team.

It could also be a gentle reminder to Devers that the expectation is that he will put the good of the team ahead of his personal feelings.

“We expect that he’ll continue to do that,” Kennedy said. “We appreciate that he’s done that. Most importantly, Raffy wants what we all want — and that’s to win baseball games.”

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