Field Level Media
09 Jun 2023, 07:10 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 MediaGet 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 InformationABU DHABI, 3rd July, 2025 (WAM) -- The Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) and the National Basketball Association...
Washington DC [US], June 30 (ANI): Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce were recently spotted spending quality time together in New York....
Washington [US], June 29 (ANI): Justin Bieber's little bundle of joy, son Jack Blues, who is just 10 months old, seems to be already...
BEIJING, June 28 (Xinhua) -- Here are the latest Chinese sports headlines from the past week: 1. China's Wang Xinyu finishes runner-up...
ESPN's extensive programming surrounding the 2025 college football season kicks off with coverage of conference media days throughout...
ESPN today announced an update to its 2025 Sunday Night Baseball Presented by Capital One schedule. On July 20, the American League-leading...
NEW YORK, New York -U.S. stock markets closed with broad gains on Thursday, led by strong performances in U.S. tech stocks, while European...
LONDON/STOCKHOLM: The Persson family is ramping up its investment in the H&M fashion empire, fueling renewed speculation about a potential...
PARIS, France: L'Oréal is making a fresh play in the booming premium haircare segment with a new acquisition. The French beauty conglomerate...
MENLO PARK, California: Robinhood is giving European investors a new way to tap into America's most prominent tech names — without...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stocks diverged on Wednesday for the second day in a row. The Standard and Poor's 500 hit a new all-time...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: The U.S. dollar continues to lose ground, weighed down by growing concerns over Washington's fiscal outlook...