Report: Red Sox skipper Cora won't go to White House

Boston manager Alex Cora will not be with his team Thursday when the Red Sox celebrate winning the 2018 World Series at the White House. El Nuevo Dia in Puerto Rico reported the news Sunday and said Cora has declined the invitation because his native land continues to struggle to recover from Hurricane Maria, which hit Puerto Rico in September 2017.

Last year, Cora criticized President Donald Trump for his tweets downplaying the number of Puerto Ricans who died as a result of the natural disaster. Trump also has blamed the slow recovery on elected officials in Puerto Rico, especially taking aim at San Juan mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz by calling her "crazed and incompetent."

"Although the government of the United States has helped, there is still a long way to go, that is OUR reality," Cora said in a statement to El Nuevo Dia, translated from Spanish. "I have continually used my voice so that we Puerto Ricans are not forgotten and my absence is not different. Therefore, at this moment, I do not feel comfortable celebrating in the White House." Other Red Sox players already have said they will not visit the White House and meet Trump. They include Mookie Betts, David Price and pitcher Hector Velazquez, who told MassLive last month that the president "has said a lot of stuff about Mexico. I'd rather not offend" people in Mexico by going to the White House.

--Field Level Media

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