BOSTON — John Farrell isn’t irked.
Farrell was asked Wednesday on WEEI’s “Dale & Holley Show” about a recent Yahoo! Sports report that stated Hanley Ramirez’s attitude has “irked” some of the Red Sox’s established veterans. The manager downplayed the reported issue and defended Ramirez’s standing on the team.
“Someone brought to my attention the article, and I’ll say this, you spend 12 hours a day with 25 guys, there’s going to be some things that bother everybody,” Farrell said. “That’s just human nature. But I think what we’ve seen of Hanley, he’s been a very good offensive player for us, the play in left field continues to make progress — maybe a little bit slower than we had hoped initially, but I see the work ethic. I see a guy who’s trying to do the best that he can at a new position.”
Ramirez, who signed a four-year, $88 million contract with Boston over the offseason, has been heavily scrutinized in his first season back with the organization that originally signed him as an amateur free agent in 2000. Most of the criticism stems from Ramirez’s subpar defense, particularly because it doesn’t always look like he’s giving maximum effort in left field, even if he is, as the skipper suggests.
Thumbnail photo via Peter Aiken/USA TODAY Sports Images
