Pablo Sandoval's ex-trainer says Red Sox infielder needs a babysitter
Pablo Sandoval's weight has become a growing issue in Boston. The struggling Red Sox third baseman was sent to the disabled list Wednesday because of a strained left shoulder.
But even that has become a point of contention.
FOX Sports MLB Insider Ken Rosenthal was told by Red Sox GM Dave Dombrowski that that Sandoval had an MRI on his shoulder Thursday after it was reported that Sandoval did not before being placed on the DL.
Sandoval had MRI on his left shoulder today, according to #RedSox's Dombrowski. Team will not know or announce results until tomorrow.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) April 14, 2016
Late last night, @jeffpassan reported that #RedSox's Sandoval did not get MRI on left shoulder before being placed on DL.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) April 14, 2016
As if that confusion isn't enough, now Sandoval's former trainer has chimed in on the third baseman's struggle to keep his weight in check.
Ethan Banning told the Boston Herald that Sandoval's weight would get "out of control" while he was with the Giants.
"I would go pick him up at a random location, drive him to the facility so that his car wouldn't be there, so if they dropped in they wouldn't know he was there," Banning said. "So for about a three-week period, he had the flu -- we had every excuse in the world. We were just trying to rip weight off him again. And it ballooned way out of control."
Sandoval was due for a new contract at the time and didn't want the club to see he had gained so much weight. According to Banning, Sandoval went to Venezuela for Christmas in 2011 and gained 21 pounds in 21 days.
"I was coming in seven days a week, he was training three times a day on six days, and on Sundays he was training twice," Banning said. "It was that bad. I mean, it got out of control."
Banning worked with Sandoval, who was benched before this season, to shed the pounds, helping him get a three-year, $17 million deal in 2012. Banning said he lost touch with Sandoval, who hit .245 with 10 homers and 47 RBI last year, after the 2011-12 offseason but didn't go into specifics.
Banning believes the $95 million contract Sandoval signed in 2014 is contributing to his unwillingness to keep himself in shape.
"You need the babysitter," Banning said. "Hey, that's a pretty harsh statement. At the end of the day, I'm speaking truth. ... I love the guy."
