Red Sox fire manager Alex Cora amid huge coaching shakeup

The Boston Red Sox fired manager Alex Cora and five members of his coaching staff Saturday in a stunning early season overhaul with the club sitting in last place in the American League East.

Bench coach Ramón Vázquez, hitting coach Peter Fatse, third base coach Kyle Hudson, assistant hitting coach Dillon Lawson and hitting strategy coach Joe Cronin were also dismissed. Game planning and run prevention coach Jason Varitek, who is in his 30th year with the organization as a player and coach, “has been reassigned to a new role within the organization,” according to a statement from the team.

Chad Tracy, a former major leaguer and manager of Boston’s Triple-A affiliate in Worcester since 2022, was named interim manager. He’ll take over a disappointing 10-17 club mired by a punchless lineup and an underachieving starting rotation that is already 7½ games behind the first-place New York Yankees. Chad Epperson was named interim third base coach and Collin Hetzler will join the staff as a hitting coach.

“Alex Cora led this organization to one of the greatest seasons in Red Sox history in 2018, and for that, and the many years that followed, he will always have our deepest gratitude,” Red Sox owner John Henry said in a statement Saturday. “He has had a lasting impact on this team and on this city. He has led on and off the field in so many important ways. These decisions are never easy, but this one is especially difficult given what Alex has meant to the Red Sox since the day he arrived.

“I want to thank Alex, our coaches, and their families for everything they have given to this organization. They have been part of this club in a way that goes beyond the field, and they will always have our respect and gratitude.”

Cora, 50, was in the second year of a three-year, $21.75 million contract extension he signed in July 2024 that made him one of the highest-paid managers in Major League Baseball. The deal expires after the 2027 season.

The Red Sox initially hired Cora, a 14-year major league veteran, in 2018 after he spent one year as bench coach for the Houston Astros. The Puerto Rico native guided Boston to a 108-win season and the World Series title in his first year.

The Red Sox failed to reach the postseason in 2019 before Cora resigned as fallout for his involvement in the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal in 2017. Commissioner Rob Manfred later suspended Cora for the 2020 season. The Red Sox rehired Cora upon his reinstatement, signing him to a two-year deal with club options for 2023 and 2024.

The Red Sox reached the postseason under Cora in 2021, advancing to the American League Championship Series, and in 2025 when the Yankees eliminated them in the AL Wild Card Series to conclude a turbulent year. Boston won 89 games despite trading Rafael Devers, once considered a franchise pillar.

The Red Sox entered Saturday tied for last in the majors in home runs (15), last in slugging percentage (.335), last in wRC+ (78) and 21st in runs scored (112). The starting rotation, considered the team’s strength with the reigning AL Cy Young runner-up Garrett Crochet in the No. 1 slot, was 27th in ERA (5.31), 27th in FIP (4.96) and 22nd in innings pitched (127).