Pedro Martinez Sounds Off on Jason Varitek's Removal From Red Sox Coaching Staff, 'Very Unfortunate'

Baseball Hall of Famer and former Boston Red Sox star pitcher Pedro Martínez is very disappointed that his ex-team reassigned his long-time battery mate, catcher Jason Varitek, after making sweeping coaching changes on April 25, per Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic.

"They're going to let me know, there's got to be a reason because Tek means so much to this city," Martínez said regarding Varitek, who served as the team's game planning and run prevention coach.

"To me, Tek is a legend here, and I'm not going to go into details because I don't know. If I knew, I'd tell you straight up, too. I'd tell you why (he was reassigned), but I don't know. But it's very unfortunate that I don't get to see my batterymate out there, giving me a hug or probably receiving the baseball from me when I threw it today."

Varitek's future with the team is unclear, though, per McCaffrey.

"Though the Red Sox said they reassigned Varitek to a different role in the organization after he was fired as the team's game-planning coordinator, a league source said that was not the case. The Red Sox have yet to clarify the role offered to Varitek, noting in a news release the night of the firings that details of his reassignment will be announced at a later date."

Varitek played his entire 15-year career (1997-2011) with the Red Sox, winning World Series in 2004 and 2007. The 2004 title broke the 86-year World Series drought, and that team famously became the first franchise in MLB history to overcome a 3-0 deficit when they beat the New York Yankees in the American League Championship Series.

Varitek, a three-time All-Star, hit .256 (.776 OPS) with 193 home runs and 757 RBI over his career. He also won a Gold Glove and Silver Slugger in 2005.

He was Martínez's catcher for all seven of the superstar's seasons in town. Martínez, of course, can lay claim to being one of the best pitchers in baseball history at his peak.

Per McCaffrey, he was at Fenway Park along with other Red Sox legends, including his ex-teammate David Ortiz, as the team celebrated the 125th anniversary of the franchise's first home game. Boston beat the Tampa Bay Rays, 2-0.

Interim manager Chad Tracy, who was managing the Triple-A Worcester Red Sox, took over for ex-manager Alex Cora after the team's 10-17 start. Tracy has led Boston to a 7-5 mark thus far as the team continues its three-game series against the Rays.