Red Sox Links: Alex Verdugo Benched

Alex Verdugo didn’t play last night. He wouldn’t have made the difference, but if you’re wondering why, it was because Alex Cora wasn't happy with perceived lack of hustle on the base paths the night before. Cora called out Verdugo at the start of the offseason for his conditioning and preparedness, and Verdugo admitted that it lit a fire under him. But he didn’t speak to the media last night, so we’ll have to wait and see what this one does. (Julian McWilliams, Boston Globe)

Matt Dermody was DFA’d just a couple of hours after giving up two homers in four innings. So this was all a big waste of time. (Peter Abraham, Boston Globe)

Replacing Dermody on the pitching staff will be Joe Jacques, a side-winding lefty reliever. (Christopher Smith, MassLive)

In other, still depressing, news, Kiké Hernandez, Rafael Devers, and Enmanuel Valdez alone have more errors than five whole teams. Chaim Bloom says the point the blame finger for the bad defense at him. (Logan Mullen, WEEI)

But wait! A defensive hero appears just over the horizon! Yu Chang is targeting Monday for a potential return to the big leagues. Mount up, Chang Gang! (Christopher Smith, MassLive)

Marcelo Mayer (and his parents) are settling into Portland. He’s already found some lobster rolls he likes, which is good to hear because he apparently tried one the last time he was in Boston and found the experience underwhelming. Next time he should have consulted with me. (Conor Ryan, Boston Globe)

If he needs any other advice about Portland living, he can probably get it from Emma Tiedemann and Rylee Pay, the duo who call the Sea Dogs game and make up just the second all-female broadcast booth in baseball history. (Jen McCaffrey, The Athletic)