Boston Red Sox
Cora led Boston to a 10-17 record through the first 27 games of the season.
Alex Cora has been fired as manager of the Red Sox. (Barry Chen/Globe Staff)
After a disappointing start to the 2026 season, the Red Sox are making a coaching shakeup.
Boston fired head coach Alex Cora on Saturday night, along with the vast majority of his coaching staff. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported. Assistants Peter Fast, Ramon Vazquez, Kyle Hudson, Dillon Lawson and Joe Cronin were also relieved of their duties as part of sweeping changes to the Red Sox coaching staff.
Former WooSox manager Chad Tracy will be the interim manager.
Notably, Jason Varitek was not officially part of the layoffs, but will be “reassigned to a new role within the organization,” according to the Red Sox press release.
Cora got the Red Sox off to a bad start to the season. Even with Saturday’s win, Boston is still 10-17 and in last place in the American League East. Many of their problems are rooted in offensive stagnation, yet Cora has been a staunch supporter of Faste, his hitting coach. Both are no longer with the team.
The Red Sox entered the year with playoff aspirations after reaching the postseason in 2025 and bolstering their pitching depth, but so far that has not translated into success. Boston will need a big turnaround from Tracy if it hopes to get back on track and make the postseason in 2026.
Either way, Saturday marked a major shift in the Red Sox organization, relieving the former player and World Series-winning manager 27 games into the season.
Tracy will make his managerial debut for the Red Sox on Sunday against the Orioles.
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