The Red Sox are bringing back Alex Cora as manager, reports Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link). He’ll return to the position he occupied from 2018-19 in a move anticipated by many for quite some time.
Cora and the organization parted ways in January after commissioner Rob Manfred implicated him as an architect of the Astros’ 2017 sign-stealing scheme. Manfred later handed Cora a suspension through the end of the 2020 postseason for his integral role in Houston’s transgressions. By then, the Red Sox had already replaced him with bench coach Ron Roenicke as skipper.
Roenicke’s tenure proved to be short-lived, as he was let go on the heels of a disappointing 24-36 season. That’s hardly all Roenicke’s fault, of course. Boston’s roster took plenty of hits outside the manager’s control in the months leading up to the start of the season. Mookie Betts was traded away, Chris Sale was forced to undergo Tommy John surgery, and Eduardo Rodríguez suffered from a serious battle with myocarditis after a bout with COVID-19.
More to come.