The Boston Red Sox knew for the last couple of weeks that this roster move was coming.
That didn't make it any easier for the Red Sox.
The Red Sox needed to open up a spot on the active roster with the team activating slugging first baseman Triston Casas off the 60-day injured list Friday before Boston's game against the Baltimore Orioles. And Dominic Smith, a well-liked player in the Red Sox clubhouse, was the odd-man out with Boston designating him for assignment.
It wasn't easy for manager Alex Cora to see the Red Sox go that route with Smith, but he understood the decision and had nothing but praise for the first baseman.
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"He was outstanding. Outstanding," Cora told reporters, per MassLive's Chris Cotillo. "It’s one of those that's a tough decision. But one that everybody knew was going to happen. Roster-wise, it was hard to keep him with us. But he put great at-bats. He had only one bad defensive week. He didn't make like two plays. But after that, he settled down. The picks at first base, the calmness for the guys around him was very important. In the clubhouse, huge. It was very important for those guys. Always upbeat, always ready to go. He found his groove two weeks ago or three weeks ago.
"He's A-plus. A-plus. He's a good player. He's still young and he has a bright future, still, in the game."
Even Casas, whose return made Smith expendable, didn't like seeing his fellow corner infielder depart the team.
"It was unfortunate to hear the news about Dom because he was such a pivotal part of this team for really a majority of the season now," Casas said. "I developed a great relationship with him. We learned from each other. I'm looking to pick up right where he left off."
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The Red Sox were in need of a first baseman when Casas went down with torn cartilage in his left rib cage on April 20. But Boston had to wait over a week to pick up Smith, who was released by the Tampa Bay Rays organization on April 30 and signed with the Red Sox a day later.
It proved to be a good move by the Red Sox brass. Smith stabilized the position in Casas' absence and batted .237 with six home runs and 34 RBIs in 83 games.
The Red Sox now have seven days to place Smith on waivers and Cora is rooting for Smith to stick around in the majors somewhere else.
"He was a pro about it," Cora said. "We talked to him this morning. Let's see what the future holds. When you have those conversations, thinking about the player, hopefully someone picks him up and he stays in the big leagues. If not, we'll see what happens."
