BOSTON >> Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora said Wednesday that newly acquired free agent Alex Bregman will play third base this season, with incumbent Rafael Devers moving to designated hitter.

“We all are in the winning business, and he understands that,” Cora told WEEI-AM. “It’s like everything, right: You don’t have to agree with it, but at the end of the day what are we going to go out there and perform every single day.”

Devers has developed into one of the top hitters in the American League over the past seven-plus seasons, batting .279 with 200 home runs and 638 RBIs while earning three All-Star selections and picking up MVP votes five times. While the Red Sox refused to make a long-term commitment to homegrown stars Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts, they signed Devers before the 2023 season to a 10-year, $313.5 million deal.

But Devers has struggled at third base, where he has played almost 1,000 games, leading the league in errors at the position seven years in a row. When the team signed Bregman — the reigning Gold Glover winner at the position — this spring, Devers said: “Third base is my position.”

“We had conversations throughout spring training, and he was very vocal about how he felt,” Cora told the radio station. “We made a decision: Alex is going to play third, Raffy’s going to DH.”

Cora said Devers has been working to understand the routine as a designated hitter. He will bat second, with Bregman batting third.

The changes mean Masataka Yoshida, who played all but one game as DH last season, is looking for a spot in the lineup. He still has three years and almost $56 million left on his contract.

Reds placed OF Hays on IL with calf strain >> Cincinnati Reds outfielder Austin Hays was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left calf strain on.

The move is retroactive to March 24 and comes a day before the Reds open the season at home against the San Francisco Giants.

“He had a scan today and it’s a very low grade (strain),” manager Terry Francona said. “But because of his history, he tried to play through this last year and it got him into some trouble. So we’ve got to nip this in the bud. He’s not sure when he did it.”

Francona said it’s possible that Hays could only miss six games, but he wanted to remain cautious.

The Reds signed Hays on Jan. 30 to a one-year, $5 million contract.

Last season, Hays was sidelined from April 21 to May 13 with a left calf strain. He strained his left hamstring in August, then in September missed three weeks with a kidney infection.

Hays, an AL All-Star in 2023 while with the Baltimore Orioles, returned for the postseason but went hitless with three strikeouts in four at-bats for the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLDS against the Mets.

He played only 85 combined games last season for the Orioles and the Phillies, and batted .255 with five home runs and 20 RBIs.

DODGERS TO VISIT WHITE HOUSE >> The Los Angeles Dodgers say they have accepted President Donald Trump’s invitation to the White House to celebrate their World Series title.

The Dodgers confirmed in a social media post on Tuesday night that “in keeping with long-standing baseball tradition,” Trump invited them and they accepted. The team said the visit will happen on April 7 before opening a series at the Washington Nationals, adding that members of the team plan to visit Capitol Hill on April 8.

Manager Dave Roberts called it a huge honor that each World Series champion gets to experience. Roberts said deciding to go to the White House was not a formal conversation he and players had.

The NHL’s reigning Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers became the first team to visit Trump in his second term when they were honored during a ceremony in the East Room in early February.

D-BACKS SIGN RELIEVER BEEKS FOR $1.25M >> The Arizona Diamondbacks signed left-hander Jalen Beeks to a $1.25 million, one-year deal and selected the contract of veteran righty Shelby Miller on Wednesday as they worked to solidify their bullpen before opening day.

The 31-year-old Beeks split time with the Colorado Rockies and Pittsburgh Pirates last season, throwing in 71 games with a 4.50 ERA.