How Red Sox’s Chaim Bloom Felt About Alex Verdugo’s Benching

This past weekend was a tough one for the Red Sox organization.

First and foremost, Boston was swept by a divisional rival, which hurt the club in the American League Wild Card standings. But amid the three-game disaster against the Toronto Blue Jays, Alex Cora felt inclined to punish one of the Red Sox's more important players.

Alex Verdugo was scratched from last Saturday's game at Fenway Park in a move that Cora simply chalked up as a "manager's decision." Cora did, however, acknowledge the Red Sox "took a step back" that day, which he labeled as one of his worst as the team's manager.

A few days after Verdugo's benching, chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom weighed in on the matter.

"Obviously, it had an impact," Chaim Bloom told reporters, per The Boston Globe. "Saturday was a tough day. That's no secret. It was something that was tough for a lot of people. I think for Dugie, seeing the effects of that was (also) tough for him. Now we see how he responds going forward."

Bloom added: "I do think he understands what was disruptive about it and understands why it was upsetting. Obviously, he's got a good bit of time here to show how he's going to respond."

Verdugo, to his credit, didn't let the punishment affect his play. The seventh-year pro logged three hits in his first game back and recorded a double with two runs scored Tuesday night.

The 27-year-old, who was the centerpiece of return in the Mookie Betts trade, is a "phenomenally talented player" in the eyes of Bloom. And if Verdugo can maximize that potential in the coming weeks, Boston will strengthen its chances of reaching the playoffs.