The excessive cell phone-usage epidemic has now spread to MLB dugouts. The Boston Red Sox disciplined a player for using social media during a game on Wednesday. In Kansas City, the Royals have some bad news regarding one of their starting pitchers.
Red Sox third baseman Pablo Sandoval will not be in Thursday night's lineup against the Atlanta Braves. Sandoval met with general manager Ben Cherington and manager John Farrell and it was determined he would be benched tonight because he was using Instagram on his cell phone in the dugout during Wednesday's game.
He was "liking" a woman's photograph on the social media platform.
"I know I f--- up," Sandoval said Thursday, via Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com. "I made a mistake [Wednesday], I learned from that. I'm a human being, I made a mistake, so I apologize to my teammates, to the team, to the organization, the fans support."
Barstool Sports first commented on Sandoval's in-game Instagram use, which will now keep him on the pine. Boston (28-39) is the worst team in the American League, so Sandoval using his phone in the dugout is not a good look for the struggling club.
On the other hand, the best team in the AL just received some bad news about their talented young starter. Kansas City Royals' right-hander Yordano Ventura was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Thursday due to an ulnar nerve condition, according to Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star.
He will miss his scheduled start on Friday.
The 24-year-old was having a down year (3-6, 4.68 ERA) after his breakout 2014 campaign, but it's still a potential big loss for the Royals. Ventura was unable to get out of the third inning in each of his past two outings and has only four quality starts on the year. Perhaps his ulnar nerve, which helps moves the hand and wrist, has been affecting him longer than expected.
For now, Yohan Pino will take Ventura's spot in the Royals' rotation. We'll be keeping updates on Ventura's status once more is known.
