Did Alex Verdugo take parting shot at Red Sox manager Alex Cora?

Aug 1, 2021; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora (13) looks on against the Tampa Bay Rays during the first inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Alex Verdugo is already fully converted to the other side of the Boston Red Sox-New York Yankees rivalry.

Verdugo spoke with reporters for the first time as a Yankee, appearing on a video conference with them Thursday. When asked about his new manager Aaron Boone, Verdugo made some comments that many interpreted as a shot at his former manager, Alex Cora of the Red Sox.

“I’m very, very excited to work with Aaron,” said Verdugo, acquired by the Yankees in a trade earlier this month. “I’ve seen the way he has his players’ backs … That’s something I wanna see out of my head coach. I wanna see some fire, some fight for the guys.

“Instead of airing people out, just have their backs,” Verdugo added.

It is easy to see why that came across as a shot at Cora. Verdugo had well-publicized issues with Cora during his time on the Red Sox, most notably last season. In August, Cora benched Verdugo for showing up late before a game. Cora then proceeded to go off on Verdugo during a press conference.

With Verdugo also getting benched at times by Cora for a lack of hustle on the basepaths, one could argue that Verdugo brought the problems upon himself. Regardless though, Verdugo is now playing for Boston’s biggest rival, so he doesn’t have to hide his true feelings about Cora any longer.