Will Rafael Devers make first base debut for Giants against Red Sox this weekend?

Rafael Devers continues to learn first base on the fly. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)AP

Five-time Gold Glove third baseman Matt Chapman had a message for Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey after taking infield with Rafael Devers at first base Thursday morning.

“He’s gonna be just fine over there,” Chapman beamed.

Thursday marked Day 3 of Devers’ first base crash course in San Francisco. Before the team’s series finale against the Guardians, Devers was back on the infield dirt at the position, taking turns with former Red Sox teammate Dom Smith fielding grounders and making throws. Coaches, including another former Gold Glover in Matt Williams, guided Devers through some footwork drills. Since declaring during his introductory press conference that he’d play wherever the Giants wanted him — a big departure from the tone he took in his final months with the Red Sox — Devers was out for early work with his glove three days in a row.

That doesn’t, however, mean that he’s expected to play the field against his former team this weekend, when Boston visits for a three-game series. San Francisco has Smith (.838 OPS) admirably manning the position with both Wilmer Flores (who started Tuesday) and Casey Schmitt able to fill in. The expectation is that it will take Devers a while to get comfortable at the position and that he’ll serve as the Giants’ designated hitter, like he did in three games against Cleveland, from Friday to Sunday.

Devers has never played first base in the majors and did not take a single ground ball at the position at any point this season as a member of the Red Sox. He has logged over 8,200 career innings at third base and, weirdly, three innings each at second base and shortstop in his career.

“It’s really early,” said Giants manager Bob Melvin. “Once we get him to do some flip fungoes and do some things where he’s having to move around a little bit, stretching and so forth, it’s gonna be easy for him. If he can play third in the fashion he did, he’s gonna be able to play first. It’s more, ‘Where am I on cut-offs and relays?’ and stretching, getting back to the base, stuff like that you’re not used to. Just getting used to that type of stuff. As far as just fielding the position and throwing the baseball, he’s gonna be fine.”

Devers, who has kept a low profile and dodged media requests since the end of his first day with the Giants, has a big weekend ahead of him. On Friday, after 1,053 games as a member of the Red Sox, he’ll face his former team for the first time amid a messy divorce. And get this: it’s believed Devers, in the early days of his new Bay Area existence, is likely staying in the same luxury San Francisco hotel as the Red Sox.

Those with the Giants are trying to temper the hype ahead of what should be a hectic Friday for Devers. He’s expected to meet with a group of Boston-based reporters before taking on the Sox and righty Hunter Dobbins on national TV (MLB Network picked up the game).

“We knew when we brought him over here that this was going to happen,” Melvin said. “The reception he has gotten from our fans has been pretty immense. Whenever you play your old team — and he’s been there a long time so there’s probably going to be some emotions for him — but just go out there and do your thing business-wise. Get past that series and move on."