In a stunning early-season move, the Red Sox have fired manager Alex Cora, per Jeff Passan of ESPN. According to Gabrielle Starr of the Boston Herald, Triple-A manager Chad Tracy will serve as interim manager for the big-league club. Many of Cora’s coaching staff are also being let go. Per Julian McWilliams of CBS Sports, the club is parting ways with hitting coaches Pete Fatse and Dillon Lawson. Passan adds that bench coach Ramon Vazquez and third base coach Kyle Hudson have also been let go. Chris Cotillo of MassLive adds hitting strategy coach Joe Cronin to the list. Per Ari Alexander of 7News Boston, game planning and run prevention coach Jason Varitek is being reassigned to a different role in the organization.

Red Sox owner John Henry issued the following statement:

Alex Cora led this organization to one of the greatest seasons in Red Sox history in 2018, and for that, and the many years that followed, he will always have our deepest gratitude. He has had a lasting impact on this team and on this city. He has led on and off the field in so many important ways. These decisions are never easy, but this one is especially difficult given what Alex has meant to the Red Sox since the day he arrived.

I want to thank Alex, our coaches, and their families for everything they have given to this organization. They have been part of this club in a way that goes beyond the field, and they will always have our respect and gratitude.

The Red Sox are off to a brutal 10-17 start in 2026. They are currently in last place in the AL East. That kind of performance is well below expectations for a club that earned a Wild Card spot in last year’s playoffs and made several moves to upgrade the roster during the offseason. It is difficult to say how much of that blame is on Cora as the manager, but evidently, the club felt a massive shakeup was necessary to break out of their slump.

More to come.