BOSTON -- A story to watch for the Red Sox is Rafael Devers' quest to improve his defense at third base.

It didn’t trend well over the first two games, and Devers was out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Orioles at Fenway Park. But manager Alex Cora said that the 24-year-old’s struggles have nothing to do with a lack of effort.

If anything, Devers looked to be overdoing it, stepping in front of shortstop Xander Bogaerts multiple times, resulting in misplays. That included a costly throwing error by Devers in Saturday’s 4-2 loss.

“I have to tell him not to try to [force] plays,” Cora said. “You like the effort. Sometimes, obviously, the decisions are not sound, but the effort is there. He puts work in.

“Whoever says he needs to work on defense, they should join us in the mornings and the afternoons. He puts in work. That's what you ask for in a player. Do we need to get better? Of course. I think we need to get better as a group, not only one individual. We'll keep working with him, as you guys know. I do believe he can play the position.”

The Red Sox have an above-average third baseman playing across the diamond in rookie Bobby Dalbec. That makes speculation only natural that Cora could switch his infield alignment if things don’t progress well for Devers.

But Cora is giving no thought to making that switch. Marwin Gonzalez started at third base on Sunday against Orioles lefty Bruce Zimmermann, with Dalbec staying at first.

Cora remains convinced that Devers has the tools to be a reliable defender.

“He has a good arm, he's got good feet,” Cora said. “Sometimes the decisions are not sound. Sometimes it's a case of, he makes that [diving] play, well, don't throw the ball. Move on to the next play. Whatever happens after that, you can live with it, but don't give the opposition one more base.”

For Cora, it is a delicate balance.

“One thing you have to be careful with, if you tell him, 'Hey, don't go too far [toward Bogaerts],' then he's going to be gun-shy and he's going to be stuck at third base, one step to the left, one step to the right, and that's not good,” Cora said. “We'll keep working at it. I'll keep working with him, and we do believe he can play third base at this level.”

E-Rod’s next step?
Two days after Eduardo Rodriguez (left elbow inflammation) threw four innings in a simulated game at the alternate training site at Polar Park in Worcester, Mass., Cora said the club was close to deciding what is next for the ace lefty.

Rodriguez is eligible to be activated from the injured list on Thursday, when the Sox open a three-game series in Baltimore.

“He's doing well,” Cora said. “We'll know after the game what we're going to do with him. Everything went well yesterday; it was kind of like Day 1 for him as far as preparation. Everything is trending that he'll be ready to be with us sooner rather than later. We'll probably know after he goes through the day, and we'll have a decision to make come tonight or tomorrow.”

Verdugo: Center, right, left
Alex Verdugo started Opening Day in center field. When Hunter Renfroe was out of the lineup on Saturday, Verdugo moved to right. With Renfroe back in on Sunday and Franchy Cordero out, Cora put Verdugo in left field. For the second straight day, Enrique Hernández started in center.

“Yeah, I mean, he can do that,” Cora said of Verdugo. “He can play right, he can play center, he can play left, so there’s no problem with that. That’s part of what we bring on a daily basis. On a daily basis defensively, we’ll be fine in the outfield. Today we felt like that’s the best alignment for us to win the ballgame.”

Sox add Rondón
The Red Sox added some depth in the bullpen by signing veteran righty Héctor Rondón to a Minor League deal and adding him to the alternate training site.

A onetime closer, the 33-year-old Rondón had a career year for the Cubs in 2015, notching a 1.67 ERA to go with 30 saves.

As recently as 2019, Rondón was a useful bullpen piece for the American League champion Astros, registering a 3.71 ERA in 62 appearances. In '20, Rondón struggled for the Phillies, posting a 7.65 ERA in 23 appearances.