Getty Images

When the Boston Red Sox take the field on Saturday against the Atlanta Braves, they’ll do so with a 28-31 record that puts them 3 ½ games out of a wild-card spot in the American League playoff picture. Although there’s still more than 100 games remaining on the schedule — or, ample time for Boston’s record to reflect the seventh best run differential in the league — that isn’t preventing head baseball operations executive Craig Breslow from being asked about the job security of manager Alex Cora, among other members of the coaching staff.

“We have a lot of confidence in Alex’s ability to lead this group, and that doesn’t mean that we don’t have conversations every day about what we might be missing or what more we can do,” Breslow told reporters, including Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe. “But we obviously made a commitment to Alex. We’re going to see that through.”

Cora is, of course, in the first of a three-year, $21 million pact he signed with the Red Sox last July. There’s no real reason to believe his job is on the line, but perhaps such speculation is to be expected after an offseason that saw Boston add left-handed ace Garrett Crochet and star third baseman Alex Bregman, among others. That doesn’t account for how poorly the Red Sox initially appeared to handle the Rafael Devers positional change situation, either.

Still, the Red Sox have played better than their losing record indicates and have done so while dealing with their share of injuries this year: Boston is currently without Bregman, first baseman Triston Casas, and starter Tanner Houck. As such, it only makes sense that the Red Sox stay the course with Cora (and his staff) and hope that time will see their record correct itself.

Cora, 49, is in his seventh season overall as Red Sox manager, and in his fifth season of his second stint atop Boston’s dugout masthead. For his career, he’s won 53.2% of his regular-season games, two pennants, and the 2018 World Series title.