Field Level Media
09 Jun 2023, 11:40 GMT+10
Boston Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo was benched for Thursday night's game against Cleveland after not hustling during a play in Wednesday's 5-2 loss to the Guardians.
Manager Alex Cora said Verdugo will return to the lineup Friday against the New York Yankees.
The play that drew Cora's ire happened with two outs in the seventh inning and Verdugo on first base.
Masataka Yoshida hit a slow bouncer to the right side of the infield and Verdugo eased up while running to second, looked back and didn't slide. The throw to second by Cleveland first baseman Josh Naylor beat Verdugo to end the inning.
Cora immediately removed Verdugo from the game.
"There was a play in the seventh inning that I didn't like," Cora told reporters before Thursday's game. "I don't know if people noticed it. ... We just felt like in that play, his reaction wasn't a great one. Obviously not busting his behind to second. I don't know if he's out or safe but I didn't like it.
"One of the things with Dugie as a player this year, there's not too many things we can question. Defensively, he's one of the best in the big leagues. Offensively, he's been solid. Even baserunning, which is one of the things he needed to get better (at), he's doing a good job. But obviously where we're at, I'm not using him as an example because we have to be better in a lot of aspects.
"But yesterday, I felt like ... that's not acceptable and he knows it. So I took him out of the game and then today he is not starting."
Verdugo, 27, is batting .286 with five homers and 24 RBIs in 59 games. He is in his fourth season with the Red Sox after spending parts of the previous three seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
--Field Level Media
Get a daily dose of San Jose Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to San Jose Sun.
More Information(Photo credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports) Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was checked for a concussion after the ...
(Photo credit: David Frerker-USA TODAY Sports) The San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants hope to keep their flickering postseason ...
(Photo credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports) The Texas Rangers' magic number is five to earn their first playoff berth since ...
(Photo credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports) This past weekend might have determined how the American League West was won. Houston, ...
(Photo credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports) Kenny Pickett threw two touchdown passes for the first time as a professional and ...
(Photo credit: John Jones-USA TODAY Sports) While the Arizona Diamondbacks are attempting to secure their first playoff berth since 2017, ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has criticized the air traffic control staffing shortages in New York as "unacceptable" ...
BURBANK, California: A note by Needham media analyst Laura Martin released this week revealed that CEO Bob Iger told investors ...
TOKYO, Japan: This week, Toshiba revealed that a tender offer worth US$14 billion from Japan Industrial Partners (JIP) was a ...
HANOI, Vietnam: While the European Union (EU) is set to impose tariffs on its Chinese rivals, Vietnamese electric vehicle (EV) ...
BEIJING, China: In a country where weddings are traditionally grand and expensive events, China's wedding industry, estimated at some US$500 ...
PARIS, France: Amid the imminent launch of the iPhone 15, unions representing Apple store workers in France have called for ...