Tony La Russa not worried about losing White Sox locker room over handling of Yermin Mercedes

Chicago White Sox manager Tony La Russa isn’t worried about losing the locker room over his handling of the Yermin Mercedes situation.

Is Tony La Russa in danger of losing the locker room in Chicago after publicly criticizing Yermin Mercedes for breaking unwritten rules?

The White Sox manager doesn’t think he has anything to worry about.

“I’d be willing to bet there isn’t anybody in that clubhouse that’s upset that I mentioned that’s not the way we compete,” La Russa said, per Vinnie Duber of NBC Sports Chicago. “I walked around the clubhouse last night, and nobody was giving me the Heisman.”

Even if Tony La Russa hasn’t lost the clubhouse, he hasn’t helped himself

It would be huge news if any White Sox players went out of their way to give La Russa “the Heisman.” They don’t have to be that forceful to be unhappy with the way La Russa handled things.

At least one of Chicago’s relievers had some interesting social media activity after the incident.

Pitcher Lance Lynn disagreed with the idea that Mercedes had done anything wrong by swinging at a 3-0 pitch with a big lead.

Shortstop Tim Anderson also gave his backing to Mercedes.

Clearly, Chicago’s players and the manager aren’t on the same page.

That’s all well and good. Players and managers won’t always agree, but it’s now an issue of who has whose back.

La Russa outed himself as someone who won’t always go to bat for his players. Even if he didn’t like Mercedes’ approach, the fact that he addressed it publicly isn’t likely to sit well with the guys in the locker room.

It may not be a problem at this point, with Chicago leading the American League with a 26-16 record. If cracks start to show as the season progresses, this will be a week to look back on.