The Boston Red Sox are sitting at .500 after a Tuesday night loss to the Detroit Tigers and an early season full of off-field drama.
Most of the headlines have been courtesy of franchise slugger Rafael Devers, who initially refused to yield his position at third base for new teammate Alex Bregman and then openly criticized the front office when it asked him to switch to first base after a season-ending injury to Triston Casas.
But now another member of the organization could be generating some off-field controversy, as pitcher Robert Stock took to X to blast Major League Baseball’s recent decision to reinstate Pete Rose.
“Pete Rose’s reinstatement brought to you by FanDuel!” Stock posted, shortly after the decision was announced on Tuesday.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred removed Rose as well as other deceased players from baseball’s permanently ineligible list after being pressured by President Donald Trump. Manfred’s ruling will mean that Rose is eligible to be voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, even after he was banned for betting on games while serving as a manager for the Cincinnati Reds.
Stock’s post seemed to be a comment on baseball’s close business ties to gambling firms. And it was a rare criticism among vocal support for Manfred’s decision.
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Reporting that Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell, New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone and former New York Mets captain David Wright were among supporters of the decision, The Athletic’s Andy McCullough singled Stock out as a notable exception.
“Not every player was so effusive,” McCullough wrote. “Robert Stock, a veteran of five big-league seasons and a current member of the Red Sox organization, mocked in a post on X the deepening relationship between Major League Baseball and various gambling outfits.”
In his second-career stint with the Red Sox this season, Stock pitched two innings against the Toronto Blue Jays, giving up three hits and an earned run.
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