According to the advice of his doctors, Chicago White Sox manager Tony La Russa did not oversee Tuesday night’s game against the Kansas City Royals, the team said approximately an hour before the game began. La Russa has been sidelined indefinitely, the team announced prior to Wednesday’s game.
“Following a medical evaluation this morning, Chicago White Sox Manager Tony La Russa now is scheduled over the coming days to undergo additional testing in Arizona by his personal physicians. His absence from the club will be indefinite pending the results of these evaluations” – The White Sox authorities stated.
Migel Cairo, the bench coach, will take over as manager in La Russa’s absence. “It’s unbelievably tough,” outfielder Andrew Vaughn said. “We really don’t have much information on what’s going on. “We were trying to figure out what was going on. They mentioned a few things, maybe his heart, or something like that.”
The 77-year-old coach spoke before the media three hours before the game on Tuesday was arranged. It is unclear what his medical problem is. In La Russa’s absence, bench coach Miguel Cairo will take over as manager. Cairo would have a hard time accepting his new position overnight, but this is a fantastic chance for him to show his worth.
Cairo expressed he’ll try to keep in touch with La Russa every day if at all feasible. “We have to do it for him,” Cairo said. “He cares about this team. He really loves the Chicago White Sox. We have to do it for him.”
In the midst of a disappointing campaign in which they were thought to be World Series contenders, the White Sox have dropped five straight games. With a 63-66 record going into Wednesday’s game against the Diamondbacks, they were 7 1/2 games out of the third and final American League wild-card berth and six games back of the Guardians in the AL Central.
La Russa has come under fire for Chicago’s underwhelming season, but there are no signs that a management change is imminent. Prior to the 2017 season, White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf welcomed La Russa back to the organization and virtually hand-picked him for the position.
