Ron Roenicke Named "Interim" Manager As Camp Opens

Ron Roenicke has been named as the interim manager of the Red Sox for 2020

Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom:

Ron's extensive coaching and managerial experience, in addition to his familiarity with our players and staff, make him an ideal fit as we prepare for the 2020 season. He has the respect of everyone in the clubhouse, and the way he carries himself and communicates will be a positive influence on our entire organization. We are confident that Ron will hit the ground running, and we're excited to work closely with him as he leads our group forward.

Roenicke had been the bench coach under Alex Cora. He managed the Brewers from 2011-15.

The Red Sox hoped to wait until MLB's investigation into allegations of sign-stealing in 2018 was released, but the team wanted a manager in place as spring training began. The Globe's Alex Speier tweeted:

To be clear on the Roenicke interim label: It's very possible, perhaps even likely, that the adjective drops by the wayside once MLB completes its investigation. But in the interests of avoiding a cart-before-horse scenario, Sox will name Roenicke interim for start of spring...

This appears to be yet another thing Commissioner Rob Manfred has mismanaged, failing to complete his investigation in time for the opening of the Red Sox's spring camp. I have to assume that the team was informed that Roenicke would not be punished. (I'm not sure how the bench coach could be out of the loop if Cora was also involved; there have been rumours the punishments will be minimal, however.)

Matt Barnes liked the news.

He's awesome. He knows the game incredibly well. And I think it'd be nice having somebody — a familiar face. Somebody who knows the guys, who's been there, and has the experience that he has.