Alex Verdugo’s spell on the bench was a brief one, and his manager is expecting there will be no fallout from it.
Verdugo has had an eventful season. He had a strong first half but has been steadily on the decline, with things coming to a head Saturday when he got benched for reportedly being late.
This is the second time this season Verdugo has gotten sat down, the first such instance coming in June when Cora took issue with his effort running to second base. The highs are high for Verdugo, but he’s proving mercurial, and getting benched twice in less than two months is not ideal.
Cora said Wednesday in his weekly appearance on Gresh & Fauria that he’s not expecting residual issues from the benching.
“No, I think he understands,” Cora said. “It’s one of those that as a manager – and you’ve been part of professional sports – you have to take a stance, and you have to take care of the rest of the clubhouse, right? It’s not only a one-man show, it’s 26 guys, and even more than that.
“The message should be loud and clear to those kids that are coming up, the prospects and everybody that will be part of the organization for upcoming years, we expect certain things out of players.
“We have to be available on a daily basis for us to win ballgames," Cora continued. "It's hard enough, obviously, at this level because of the talent of the opposition and how it goes at the big league level to win games. When we’re a man short on one day, it’s really tough. The message was the message, he understands. He’s been playing good baseball, yesterday you saw him running around in right field and playing good defense, scored from first base.”
Verdugo is 4-for-8 with a double in three games since the benching, but his future with the organization is uncertain. The team seemed willing to part with him at the deadline for the right price, and they already have Jarren Duran and Masataka Yoshida presumably locked into long-term outfield spots, with Ceddanne Rafaela on the way.
Despite the doubt about Verdugo’s future in Boston, the 2023 Red Sox are better when he’s available and playing well.
“Alex is a good player. He’s a really good player,” Cora said. “He can do a lot of things on the field. It’s just a matter of that day we needed to take a stand, I needed to take a stand, and I hope the message was loud and clear.”
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