Boston Red Sox third baseman Pablo Sandoval admitted Thursday to checking his Instagram account during Wednesday’s loss to the Atlanta Braves.
As a result, he’s been benched for Thursday’s series finale at Turner Field.
“I know I (messed) up,” Sandoval told reporters in Atlanta, via ESPN.com. “I made a mistake (Wednesday), I learned from that. I’m a human being, I made a mistake, so I apologize to my teammates, to the team, to the organization, the fans support.”
Jared Carrabis of Barstool Sports tweeted a screenshot Wednesday night that showed Sandoval’s account had “liked” two photos during the seventh inning of Boston’s 5-2 loss. Athletes often do not manage their own social media pages, but the third baseman copped to the fact that he was the one responsible.
“I take the punishment,” Sandoval told reporters. “When you grow up, you learn from a lot of things. You grow up every single day in your life. You learn from that.
Sandoval told reporters he was aware of the Red Sox’s policy that prohibits social media use during games, and that he apologized to manager John Farrell and general manager Ben Cherington. He said he expects to be back in the lineup Friday in Kansas City.
“It’s a one-day thing,” Sandoval told reporters. “So, I move forward to tomorrow to be on the field and help my team to win games.”
Newly recalled Travis Shaw will start at third and bat seventh Thursday against Braves starter Shelby Miller.
UPDATE (5:10 p.m. ET): Sandoval’s actions also violated Major League Baseball’s social media policy, which prohibits the use of “electronic equipment” during a period beginning 30 minutes before first pitch and ending at the game’s conclusion.
Thumbnail photo via Bob Stanton/USA TODAY Sports Images
