BOSTON — Whether or not Ron Roenicke remains the Red Sox manager next season could be decided on the upcoming road trip.
Boston travels to Atlanta for its final three-game series of the season beginning on Friday. Boston chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom will be among the travel party.
Roenicke’s contract includes a one-year club option for the 2021 campaign. The Red Sox entered Wednesday’s matchup with the Orioles in last place in the American League East, trailing Baltimore by two games. If the standings remain unchanged, this would mark the club’s fourth time closing in the basement since the 2012 season.
“I haven’t talked to him yet about it,” Roenicke said. “I know he’s going to Atlanta. I’m sure we’ll have a conversation somewhere before I leave.”
Roenicke was put in charge during one of the most difficult years in recent Boston memory. Alex Cora left the club by mutual consent in January after Major League Baseball implicated him in an electronic sign-stealing scandal while serving as the bench coach in Houston. Mookie Betts and David Price were traded to the Dodgers in February, a sure sign the Red Sox were content to focus on future seasons.
Roenicke has also been forced to operate under COVID-19 protocols and adjust to the disruption of the club’s daily routine. Additional difficult conversations have centered around social justice and racial equality, culminating in an unplayed game against the Blue Jays on Aug. 27.
“It’s been a weird one for me personally dealing with everything we’ve had to deal with,” Roenicke said Tuesday. “It’s nice when we can just talk baseball, which as you know is about half of what we’ve been able to talk about this year.
“I’ve enjoyed the challenges of it for sure. Hopefully next year we’ll piece together what we need and what we feel is important to put this team back to where we’re competitive.”
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