Former Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo may have traded his beard for the pinstripes after being traded to the Yankees, but he's still making news in Boston after his latest comments surrounding manager Alex Cora.
In a Zoom call Thursday with New York reporters, when asked about playing for Aaron Boone, Verdugo seemed to have taken a dig at Cora for not having his players' backs.
Cora never shied away from making an example out of Verdugo, which seemed to only intensify during 2023. He benched Verdugo twice, once for arriving late to a crucial division game against Toronto in June and also for a lack of hustle on the base paths on a separate occasion.
Verudgo was also ejected in the fourth inning in late August in a game against the Houston Astros for chirping at home plate umpire, Pat Hoberg, from the dugout, which may have been part of the reported immaturity issues that resulted in the fractured relationship.
Whatever the case, Verdugo felt strongly about what he described as a lack of support in Boston, but former Red Sox World Series champion Jonathan Papelbon couldn't care less about the outfielder's feelings.
Verdugo I mean Vertigo is a Bitch. Cora has his players and teammates backs more than anyone in the game. You aired yourself out by being late, lazy and unproductive. If I played for Cora I’m drilling this bitch, just saying. https://t.co/ucNzJoXdw1
— Jonathan Papelbon (@TheRealJPap58) December 22, 2023
Jonathan Papelbon went full NSFW on Alex Verdugo after he called out Red Sox
Woah! Some NSFW action for the folks at home! Didn't see that coming. But it's not necessarily surprising coming from Papelbon.
He's not alone, either. Red Sox Twitter almost immediately jumped to Cora's defense, stating the now "rival" outfielder's latest comments are indicative of the type of attitude and work ethic many felt he portrayed during his tenure in Boston.
The Red Sox-Yankees rivalry has certainly dwindled in a sense over the years, and really has not lived up to the historical hype on a consistent basis since the early 2000s. We've seen guys like Jacoby Ellsbury and Johnny Damon make the switch across enemy lines and put on the Yankee uniform after finding success with the Red Sox, which in a sense, helped restore a piece of the rivalry, but there haven't been lasting effects.
With Verdugo's latest comments, and the apparent bad blood between Cora and Verdugo and Red Sox Nation, maybe "The Rivalry" just got a little more interesting.