Red Sox Remove Interim Tag From Ron Roenicke's Title
BOSTON (CBS) -- Ron Roenicke is no longer the "interim" manager of the Boston Red Sox. He's now Mr. Manager -- or as they call it in MLB, just the manager.
The team lifted the interim tag from Roenicke's title Wednesday after MLB released its report on the 2018 Red Sox sign-stealing scandal. Roenicke was elevated to interim manager when Alex Cora and the team parted ways after Cora was outed as the mastermind of the 2017 Houston Astros cheating scandal, and Boston chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom explained the temporary interim tag on a conference call on Wednesday night.
"At the time that we named Ron interim manager, we explained the interim tag was necessary in order for us to respect that there was an ongoing investigation," said Bloom. "Obviously, with that investigation complete and given the results of the investigation, that interim tag is removed and Ron is now our manager."
That investigation did not find any Red Sox coaches of players responsible, outing Boston's replay operator J.T. Watkins was the main culprit. He has been banned through the 2020 season, and cannot return to his role as Boston's replay room operator until after the 2021 season.
Roenicke is now the 48th manager in Red Sox history. He is working on a one-year contract that expires after the 2020 season, Bloom said Wednesday night.
While there are theories that Cora may return to the Boston bench after serving his one-year suspension -- which was handed down Wednesday for his action with the Astros in 2017 -- Bloom said Roenick will get a chance to earn an extension this season.
"The fact the contract runs out after 2020 doesn't mean that he can't or won't manage beyond that date," Bloom explained. "It's just we thought we were best served, given the uniqueness of the situation, maintaining the length of the situation. I would repeat everything I said on the day we named him interim manager: I was really impressed getting to know him through the interview process and things I had heard about him throughout the league."
Roenicke is a well-respected baseball man and well-liked in the Boston clubhouse. He served as manager of the Milwaukee Brewers from 2011-15, posting a 342-331 record over that span.
