Red Sox fire manager Alex Cora, clean house amid 10-17 start

Boston is in last place in the AL East and fired the World Series-winning Cora just 27 games into the season

The Boston Red Sox fired manager Alex Cora, the club announced on Saturday. Cora, the first manager fired in the 2026 MLB season, led the Red Sox to a World Series title in 2018. Also out are five members of Cora's coaching staff -- bench coach Rámon Vazquez, hitting coach Peter Fatse, third base coach Kyle Hudson, assistant hitting coach Dylan Lawson and hitting strategy coach Joe Cronin. As well, game planning and run prevention coach Jason Varitek has been reassigned within the organization. 

Chad Tracy, 40, will serve as interim manager. Tracy had been manager of the Red Sox's top affiliate in Worcester since 2022.

"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 released by the club. "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."

The move comes after Boston's 17-1 blowout win over the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday. However, the win pushed the Red Sox to just 10-17 on the season. They remain in last place in the American League East and are 7½ games behind the first-place New York Yankees. The Yankees swept the Red Sox at Fenway Park earlier this week. Boston opened the season with a 1-5 road trip and then were 2-8 after their first 10 games. Under Cora's leadership, they weren't able to recover from that slow start in time to save jobs up and down the staff. 

A surprising move

Cora, 50, had been roughly in the middle of a three-year, $21.75 million contract extension that he signed in the summer of 2024. He was in his second stint as Red Sox manager. In his debut season as a big-league manager, Cora guided the Red Sox to a World Series title in 2018 and then another winning campaign in 2019. 

In January of 2020, however, the club fired Cora for his role in the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal during his tenure on the coaching staff. Cora returned to manage the team again prior to the 2021 season. In his first season back in the Boston dugout, the Sox won 92 games and advanced to the ALCS. After that, a rebuild followed, and the Sox under Cora endured back-to-back losing seasons before reaching .500 in 2024. Last season, Boston claimed a wild-card berth before falling to the rival Yankees in the first round.

Alex Cora managerial record

2018

108-54

Won World Series

2019

84-78

2021

92-70

Lost ALCS

2022

78-84

2023

78-84

Breslow shakes things up (again)

Big expectations surrounded the Red Sox this season, as they combined an impressive young core with targeted winter additions like Ranger Suarez, Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras, Caleb Durbin, and multiple relievers. The results, though, haven't met those expectations, and that's what cost Cora his job after parts of eight seasons as Boston manager. 

Over that span, Cora's teams went a combined 620-541 (.534) with one division title and three playoff berths. In the playoffs, Cora went 18-10. 

Cora's second tenure as Red Sox manager precedes Craig Breslow's ascension to the role of chief baseball officer in October of 2023. That gave Cora "inherited" status insofar as Breslow's front office is concerned, and that often means tenuous job security. 

This is the second shocking in-season move in as many seasons from Breslow's front office. Last June, the Red Sox traded slugging infielder Rafael Devers to the Giants just hours after a victory.