The Boston Red Sox have decided on their next manager, as they announced on Tuesday that former bench coach Ron Roenicke has been promoted to interim manager.
Alex Speier of the Boston Globe first reported the news earlier in the day. Speier and other reporters believe Roenicke has been named interim manager because the Red Sox are waiting for Major League Baseball to conclude its investigation into allegations that they cheated during their World Series season in 2018. Assuming Roenicke is not implicated, he will likely shed the interim tag.
To be clear on the Roenicke interim label: It’s very possible, perhaps even likely, that the adjective drops by the wayside once MLB completes its investigation. But in the interests of avoiding a cart-before-horse scenario, Sox will name Roenicke interim for start of spring…
— Alex Speier (@alexspeier) February 11, 2020
Roenicke was the manager of the Milwaukee Brewers from 2011-2015. He compiled a record of 342-331 and led the team to the NLCS in 2015. He served on Mike Scioscia’s staff with the Los Angeles Angels from 2000-2010 prior to that.
The Red Sox are still under investigation by Major League Baseball over allegations that they used their video replay room to illegally steal signs. Alex Cora was heavily implicated by MLB in the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal from 2017, and the expectation is that he will face a suspension similar to the one-year bans that were handed down to former Astros manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow.
A report from earlier in the week said the cheating that allegedly went on in Boston was far less serious than the Astros’ elaborate scheme.
