It was unclear how the Boston Red Sox would handle their infield cluster after signing third baseman Alex Bregman this offseason.Franchise cornerstone Rafael Devers has made his reluctance to move from the hot corner and later his reluctance to move back into the field from designated hitter public this spring.

Despite making significant improvements on paper over the offseason, the Boston Red Sox — at 26-26 entering Saturday — appear to be headed towards another mediocre campaign and perhaps, a fourth consecutive finish outside of the playoff picture.

Discussing third-base options in light of Alex Bregman’s injury, Red Sox manager Alex Cora initially said ‘No’ to Rafael Devers returning to his old job, then backtracked.