LaRoche controversy escalates

The uproar over Adam LaRoche’s abrupt retirement from the Chicago White Sox turned ugly Friday, with ace Chris Sale accusing an executive vice president of lying to the team about the reasons LaRoche’s son needed to spend less time around the clubhouse.

LaRoche announced this week that he was leaving after team executive Kenny Williams asked him to cut the amount of time his 14year- old son, Drake, was spending with the White Sox.

The incident sparked anger from players across the major leagues and prompted questions about the balance between work and parenting. “Prior to signing with the White Sox, my first question to the club concerned my son’s ability to be a part of the team,” LaRoche wrote in a statement posted to his Twitter account. “... We move toward the current situation which arose after White Sox VP Ken Williams recently advised me to significantly scale back the time that my son spent in the clubhouse. Later, I was told not to bring him to the ballpark at all.”

Outfielder Adam Eaton said he had contacted the MLB Players Association on the matter. Current players including Bryce Harper and former standouts like Chipper Jones took to social media to back LaRoche, using # FamilyFirst on Twitter. But their anger was nothing like that of Sale, the team’s All- Star pitcher who hung Drake’s uniform outside his locker at the spring training complex in Glendale, Ariz.

White Sox players were told three different stories about what happened, Sale said. “This is a bigger issue than being told his son can’t be around. It’s a much deeper issue. We got bold- faced lied to by someone we’re supposed to be able to trust.” Briefly: Former Giants and Dodgers pitcher Brad Penny, in camp with Toronto, is retiring after 14 seasons in the majors. ... Tampa Bay closer Brad Boxberger will miss at least eight weeks after having abdominal muscle surgery.