
Boston Red Sox game planning coordinator/catching coach Jason Varitek looks on from the dugout during a baseball game against the Texas Rangers Saturday, Aug. 3, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Jeffrey McWhorter)AP
It’s been almost two weeks since Alex Cora and a slew of his coaches were fired, but there’s still little clarity on what (if any) role Jason Varitek will play with the Red Sox moving forward.
While Boston was cut-and-dried with Cora and most of the coaches being dismissed, the team said Varitek, the game planning and run prevention coach, “had been reassigned to a new role within the organization.” Last week, MassLive reported that Varitek had told confidants he didn’t plan to remain with the Red Sox.
So where do things stand now?
On Thursday’s Greg Hill Show, chief baseball officer Craig Breslow was asked for an update on Varitek’s status.
“Jason Varitek is an incredibly meaningful figure in this organization,” Breslow said. “He’s a Red Sox Hall of Famer and legend. All of that praise and admiration is absolutely warranted. It’s something that I share. I have tremendous respect for Tek.
“We told him that there is a place in this organization for him for as long as he wants it. The specific details and timeline will remain between us. But he has meant so much to this organization that it’s impossible to put that into words appropriately.”
A star catcher for the Red Sox from 1997-2011 and a coach since 2021, Varitek took the dismissal of the coaches hard in Baltimore, according to Chris Cotillo. As Cora and others smiled for cameras, Varitek flashed a thumbs down sign in a photograph taken together.