The Boston Red Sox had a rough day on Saturday as they dropped a crucial game to their AL East rivals, the Toronto Blue Jays, and faced internal challenges when right fielder Alex Verdugo was benched by manager Alex Cora for a “manager’s decision.”
In a nail-biter, the Sox fell short 5-4. The game concluded with a game-ending base-running mistake by Reese McGuire, who got doubled off second base on Connor Wong’s deep drive to center field.
Reflecting on the critical mistake, Red Sox manager Alex Cora expressed his disappointment in the post-game press conference. “It was a bad baseball play all around for us,” Cora stated via Boston Sports Journal. “We all thought it was gone.”
However, the team’s troubles began earlier in the day when Alex Verdugo was unexpectedly scratched from the starting lineup. The team cited it as a “manager’s decision,” but Cora made it clear that he expects all players to be available every day to contribute to the team’s success.
“I decided not to play him,” Cora asserted. “Today, we took a step back as a team. We have to make sure everybody is available every single day here for us to get to wherever we’ve got to go. That wasn’t the case. As a manager, I’ve got to take charge of that. I decided he wasn’t gonna play.”
Alex Cora addresses why Alex Verdugo didn’t play today and reveals that today is one of his worst days with the Red Sox organization. pic.twitter.com/WQbekaroEm
— Zeke (@ZekeTelemaco) August 5, 2023
Reports from MLB.com indicated that Verdugo arrived at Fenway Park merely two hours before the first pitch, much later than the typical five-hour arrival time for position players.
This isn’t the first time Cora has expressed concerns about Verdugo’s dedication, having benched him earlier in the season for a lack of hustle on the bases.
“Just a manager’s decision. I don’t really wanna go too far into it. It’s his decision and that’s what we went with,” Verdugo commented on Saturday’s benching, as reported by MassLive.
“Obviously, I want to be available and I want to help in big parts and I want to help this team win. All we can do now is look forward to tomorrow, come here and be ready to play.”
Verdugo, who was the centerpiece of the trade that sent Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers, started the season impressively but has struggled in recent weeks, resulting in a .157/.245/.277 batting line since July 1.
His overall season batting line currently stands at .270/.343/.424.
Rumors of Verdugo’s availability at the trade deadline further fueled speculation about his future with the team. However, it remains to be seen how the situation will unfold, and whether Cora’s decision to bench him will spark a turnaround in the player’s performance.
Verdugo was back in the lineup yesterday and went 3-4 at the plate. However, the Red Sox were massacred 13-1 by Toronto and fell to last place in the AL East and 5 games back in the Wild Card race.
What do you think the future holds for Verdugo?
It’s been a roller-coaster year for the Red Sox – although with much more lows than highs.
Is this Cora’s final season as manager in Boston?