‘Resource’ for Cora, Dombro

He won’t be in uniform or making midgame pitching decisions, but Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa will be consulting with the field staff as a member of the Red Sox front office in 2018.

La Russa was officially hired yesterday as a vice president and assistant to president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski.

“I can’t think of anyone else around in today’s world that has more knowledge than him,” Dombrowski said. “He wants an important role but doesn’t want to be a general manager or manager or farm director. So he feels like he can contribute in a lot of different ways.”

La Russa, 73, will assist Dombrowski in all areas of operations, including player development and working with big league and minor league coaching staffs. He will help in spring training.

During the season, La Russa expects to be in Boston most of the time, providing player analysis for Dombrowski while assisting new manager Alex Cora in any way necessary, though he’s hoping not to get too involved in Cora’s day-to-day activities.

“He’s a very bright young man that’s going to be an outstanding manager,” La Russa said of Cora. “I’m going to be very sensitive to his position is the best way to put it. Being down there, he’s the one who has to establish his leadership position with the major league team and his staff. I’ll be available. When he asks I’ll give him the best answer. But I’m not getting in his way or try to influence him because I know he knows the direction he wants to go. I’ll just be a resource.”

La Russa was recently with the Arizona Diamondbacks, where he spent four years in the front office, and ran the club as chief baseball officer in 2015-16.

La Russa ranks third on MLB’s all-time managerial list with 2,728 wins and has three World Series titles. He and Dombrowski worked together with the Chicago White Sox, where La Russa managed from 1979-86.