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.

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.”

College football

Gophers net No. 1 Wisconsin prospect

The Gophers football program picked up a commitment from Janesville, Wis., offensive lineman Gavin Meier on Wednesday.

The top-ranked prospect in Wisconsin had scholarship offers from Wisconsin, Auburn, Indiana, Northwestern and others. The three-star prospect listed at 6-foot-6 and 290 pounds was on the U campus this week after being in Madison earlier this month and Auburn in February.

“I can’t wait to step onto the field at Huntington Bank Stadium for the first time with my future teammates and rep the ‘M’ on the front of my jersey,” Meier wrote on social media. “I will give everything I’ve got to help this program succeed.”

Minnesota now has six commitments in its 2025 class.

— Andy Greder

Figure skating

American Liu takes lead after short program

U.S. figure skater Alysa Liu led after the short program on the opening night of the world championships on Wednesday. She scored an international-best 74.58 points for her program, set to the song “Promise” by Laufey and Dan Wilson.

Liu was part of the Olympic team in 2022 but retired after that year’s world championships, only to announce her comeback early last year.

Mone Chiba of Japan was second with 73.44 points while U.S. teammate Isabeau Levito, the reigning silver medalist, was third with 73.33 points. Three-time reigning world champion Kaori Sakamoto of Japan was fifth with 71.03 points.

In the pairs short program, Japanese skaters Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara earned first place and 76.57 points with their energetic program to “Paint it Black” by the Rolling Stones.

NFL

Dynamic kickoff to be permanent, league says

The NFL competition committee is recommending making the dynamic kickoff rule permanent and moving touchbacks to the 35-yard line in hopes of generating even more returns.

The competition committee released several potential rule changes for 2025, including an expansion of instant replay that will be considered next week at the league meetings in Palm Beach, Fla. Any rule change must be approved by 24 out of 32 team owners.

Teams submitted several proposals last week that also could be voted on at the league meetings, including banning the “tush push” and changing playoff seeding rules.

Owners approved a major change to the kickoff last year on a one-year trial basis and the committee recommended another change to increase the rate of returns without increasing the risk of injuries. The league had 332 additional returns last season with the rate increasing from a record-low 21.8% in 2023 to 32.8% last season.

The committee also proposed allowing teams to declare their intention for an onside kick at any point in the game when they are trailing instead of only in the fourth quarter.

BRIEFLY

NBA >> An autographed Chicago Bulls jersey that Michael Jordan wore in a preseason game during his rookie year sold for $4.215 million at auction.

NWSL >> After having to apologize for its first team name reveal, the expansion National Women’s Soccer League team in Boston has a new moniker: Boston Legacy FC.

— From news services