Why did it seem like Alex Cora threw Roman Anthony under the bus amid Red Sox struggles?

The Boston Red Sox's rotating outfield and designated hitter situation remains complicated a few weeks into the season. Boston has more outfielders than it knows what to do with, and Alex Cora has had to come up with multiple lineups to get everyone playing time.

He's also had to come up with reasons for why players aren't taking the field, or why they aren't playing their usual positions. Cora didn't mince words when it came to explaining why Roman Anthony took up the DH role for a few days, rather than his usual spot in left field.

Peter Abraham of The Boston Globe reported before the Sox's April 4 game against the San Diego Padres that Cora transitioned Anthony to DH because he feels he needs to work on his footwork and throwing. Just two days later, Anthony returned to left field to face the Milwaukee Brewers while Jarren Duran sat on the bench.

The transparency from Cora is a nice thought, although it's rather obvious that Anthony is struggling defensively — he's made some horribly off-track throws in recent games, some of which have resulted in runs. But some people, including the hosts of the "Foul Territory" podcast, didn't like Cora's approach to Anthony's struggles.

"I like a lot of the stuff that Alex Cora does, but I don't get why he had to say this," podcast host and former catcher Erik Kratz said. "He could've just said, 'Jarren Duran's a better left fielder than Roman Anthony right now...' not like, well, 'he has to work on his footwork and his throws.'"

Alex Cora piles more pressure on Red Sox's Roman Anthony after exposing his defensive issues

Anthony already has mountains of pressure on him this season. He's just 21 years old with 71 games of big league experience, but he's expected to lead the Red Sox offense after they failed to sign a true slugger this offseason. He's struggled to get going in the first weeks of the campaign, with 13 strikeouts in 10 games, and although he seems to be breaking out of his funk, he should never have been put in this position to begin with — it's not his job to save the Red Sox as a sophomore in the big leagues, and it's unfair to expect him to do so.

Guest host Kevin Pillar also makes an excellent point: Cora alerted other teams to Anthony's defensive struggles. In the eighth inning on April 6, Garrett Mitchell singled to Anthony in left field with runners on first and second base and the Brewers decided to try and score to test Anthony's arm. His throw was so far off line that both runners scored and Mitchell ended up on third base. There's no telling if Milwaukee would've sent its runners had the ball been hit to Duran in left field, but Cora's exposure of Anthony's struggles probably didn't help matters.

Cora could've kept Anthony's business internal for multiple reasons, but mostly because the 21-year-old doesn't need additional pressure on his back this season. So much is already being asked of Anthony, and adding media and fan attention to his defensive troubles just nine games into the season doesn't help anyone.