Red Sox name Roenicke manager

FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Red Sox made the perfect choice. Well, to be quite honest, the only choice.

On Tuesday, the eve of spring training, the Red Sox officially announced Ron Roenicke as the manager for the season, technically calling him their “interim manager,” in order to cover their behinds in case Roenicke somehow is implicated in MLB’s signstealing investigation.

The Red Sox made their decision last week, but once Alex Cora departed in the wake of his role in the Astros’ cheating scandal, they knew Roenicke had to be the guy.

Were they really going to throw an outsider – much less a rookie manager – out there?

They needed Roenicke, 63, their veteran bench coach the last two seasons, to help alleviate what promises to be one of the most tumultuous seasons in Red Sox history.

We’re talking about a team that fired its general manager Dave Dombrowski in September and parted ways with its beloved manager in January after he was suspended by the league. A team that still is under investigation by Major League Baseball for its potential role in a cheating scandal of its own. And a team that no longer has one of the greatest players in the game in Mookie Betts, not to mention former Cy Young winner David Price.

Roenicke, who managed the Brewers for five years and has 21 years of major league coaching experience, certainly is capable of providing a soothing calmness.

His easiest day on the job will be on their first day Wednesday.

It could get awfully ugly the rest of the way.