Tony La Russa Won’t Manage White Sox for Rest of Season, Team Says

Tony La Russa’s indefinite absence from the White Sox will continue through the remainder of the season per the request of the manager’s doctors, the team announced in a statement Saturday.

“After undergoing additional testing and medical procedures over the past week, doctors for Tony La Russa have directed him to not return as manager of the Chicago White Sox for the remainder of the 2022 season,” the statement read.

In his absence, bench coach Miguel Cairo will continue to serve as acting White Sox manager. The club has gone 13–10 since Cairo took over, and currently sit in second place in the AL Central with a 76–75 record with 11 games left to go.

La Russa, 77, has not managed the team since Aug. 30 when the club announced he would miss the Sox’s matchup against the Royals to “undergo further medical testing” roughly an hour before the game began. Chicago announced the next day La Russa would be out indefinitely as he continued to undergo tests with doctors in Arizona for an undisclosed medical issue.

On Sept. 11, La Russa addressed his health during an appearance at a jersey retirement ceremony for former A’s pitcher Dave Stewart ahead of Oakland’s game against Chicago. He told Janie McCauley of the Associated Press that he had a pacemaker inserted for his heart, and shared that he was progressing well after undergoing a relatively “simple” procedure.

“Health ain’t nothing to mess with,”La Russa told reporters. “I got checked in Chicago and the reason I flew to Arizona is because that’s been the place since the ’90s I’ve had physicals. They addressed it, they fixed it, now it’s just a question of regaining strength. Don’t mess with health.”

While it remains unclear when he’ll return to the dugout, La Russa’s place in the history books is already more than solidified. In his 43 years as a manager, the Hall of Famer ranks second in MLB in victories (2,897), won a World Series with the Athletics and two with the Cardinals (2006 and 2011), and has been named Manager of the Year four times.