ATLANTA, Georgia — Boston Red Sox third baseman Pablo Sandoval found himself sitting out Thursday night’s game against the Atlanta Braves as punishment for using a cellphone during a game the previous night.
Red Sox manager John Farrell banished Sandoval to the bench after learning that Sandoval, in his first year in Boston after signing as a free agent during the offseason, liked photos posted by a woman that showed up on his Instagram account during Wednesday night’s 5-2 loss to the Braves.
A blogger noticed the activity on Sandoval’s feed during the game. Sandoval said he checked his phone after a visit to the clubhouse bathroom.
“It’s one thing I let my teammates down. Ain’t going to happen no more, so I learned from that,” Sandoval said. “I know I [messed] up. I made a mistake, 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.
“This is a thing that I pushed the button at the wrong time. I hit a ‘like.’ I was in the bathroom, I pushed it at the wrong time. … I just grabbed my phone and checked it.”
Sandoval said he had never done anything like that previously during a game. Using a cellphone during games violates team rules.
Afterward, he apologized to Farrell and general manager Ben Cherington but said he wasn’t fined by the team.
“I take the punishment,” he said. “When you grow up, you learn from a lot of things. You grow up every single day in your life. You learn from that. It’s their decision to make. I broke the team rules. I should be punished.”
Sandoval expects to return to the lineup on Friday for the struggling Red Sox, who had lost eight of their last nine games heading into Thursday night.
Sandoval, a former San Francisco Giants player, was a high-paid free-agent signee by the Red Sox this past winter. He is hitting .270 with 23 RBIs and six home runs.
Pedroia hurting again
Second baseman Dustin Pedroia is known for his grit and is again playing at less than full strength.
Pedroia, 31, has swelling in his right knee and after he underwent season-ending surgery to repair his wrist last September, expect concern in the clubhouse.
“It’s one of those things,” Pedroia said, “where I went out, took BP … ran around and (it) feels good, but then game time is a little different.”
Pedroia played through hand and wrist injuries for parts of the past three seasons. He is batting .307 entering Thursday and confirmed he underwent treatment to alleviate the swelling.
“It will be fine,” he said. “No worries. I will be fine.”
Pedroia’s 2014 season ended with him hitting .278 with seven home runs, 53 RBIs and six stolen bases. He is signed through the 2021 season and is owed $96.5 million over that span.
Napoli hits 10th HR
First baseman Mike Napoli, who snapped an 0-for-18 slump with two hits on Tuesday, belted his 10th homer of the season Wednesday against the Braves. He is one of just nine players with at least 10 homers each season since 2006. Napoli, who has just a .204 average, has never fallen short of double-figure homers in the majors.
Meanwhile, left fielder Hanley Ramirez, who sat out Tuesday’s game with a sore back, was 1-for-4 with a run scored Wednesday against the Braves. He had aggravated his mid-back on a swing Monday. Ramirez is hitting .270 with a team-best 13 homers and 33 RBIs.