Here’s Why Alex Cora Will Miss Time With Red Sox This Weekend

Alex Cora will miss some time this weekend as manager of the Boston Red Sox, but it’s for good reason.

Cora revealed Wednesday on WEEI’s “Ordway, Merloni & Fauria” that his daughter, Camila, is graduating from high school in Puerto Rico.

“I won’t be here, actually,” Cora said when asked about having a packed Fenway Park for the first time since 2019. “I’m going home. It’s Camila’s graduation on Saturday. So I’m going to miss that. I’m flying home.”

Bench coach Will Venable will handle the managerial duties while Cora is away. Cora will return for Sunday’s game against the Miami Marlins.

Cora explained he has all the confidence in the world in Venable.

“Just go out there and try to win a ballgame,” Cora told reporters over Zoom before Wednesday’s game against the Atlanta Braves. “I told him, ‘No texting. No calling. Just get ready for that.’ He’ll be fine. He’ll be fine. So looking forward for Saturday on a personal note, and also to see Will go out there and do his thing.”

Cora spoke highly of his daughter, calling her the “leader” of the family.

“It’s our time to root for her,” Cora said. “I cannot wait for Saturday. It’s probably the biggest day of my life, to be able to see Camila graduate from high school. It’s amazing. She’s actually the life of our family, the vibe of our family and she’s the leader of our family. I cannot wait for that. It will be a special day.

“This girl, she means the world to us,” he continued. “She has been through a lot in her life. A child of divorced parents — that’s not easy — but the fact we’ve been able to work together and put her in the situation where she’s at right now. She’s going to college, she has been great to us throughout the process. She has suffered a lot the last 16 months with everything that happened with me, but at the same time, our relationship has grown. I explained her a lot of stuff. She had a lot of questions and I answered all of them.”

As for what’s next for Camila, Cora revealed she will be attending Boston College in the fall, so she’ll soon be much closer to her dad.