Alex Cora Denies Racial Divide in Red Sox Before Players Visit Donald Trump

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora is pushing back against any talk there is a racial divide within the team's locker room as some players prepare for Thursday's visit to the White House.

Per ESPN.com's Joon Lee, Cora discussed the situation following Boston's 2-1 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night:

"There's been a lot of talk about what's going on tomorrow and the clubhouse and we're divided with race and politics. Those kids went out there and played their hearts out. We know who we are in the clubhouse. I know a lot of people doubt that, but we did what we did last year and canceled the noise. We showed up every day, and we played."

Cora announced Sunday he wasn't going to participate in Boston's visit with President Donald Trump over his dissatisfaction with the response to Hurricane Maria in his native Puerto Rico. 

"Like the report said, the government has done some things back home that are great, but we still have a long ways to go. That's our reality. It's pretty tough to go celebrate when we're where we are at. I'd rather not go and just be consistent with everything," he said.

A majority of Red Sox players who have confirmed they will be in Washington D.C. on Thursday are white. J.D. Martinez, who is of Cuban descent, is among those confirmed to attend. 

Notable players who have said they will skip visiting the White House include Mookie Betts, David Price, Xander Bogaerts, Jackie Bradley Jr. and Rafael Devers. Some have yet to publicly announce if they will attend, including Andrew Benintendi, Eduardo Nunez and Eduardo Rodriguez. 

Skipping the White House visit has become more common for athletes in recent years. Notable examples include Boston Bruins goalie Tim Thomas' choice not to visit former president Barack Obama with the Boston Bruins in 2012, and the Golden State Warriors' decision to not visit the White House in each of the past two years.