Red Sox Bench Sandoval For Using Instagram During Game

Boston Red Sox third baseman Pablo Sandoval was benched on Thursday’s game by manager John Farell for using Instagram during Wednesday’s 5-2 loss against Atlanta Braves.

Sandoval admitted that during the match against the Braves, he used his cellphone to ‘like’ a woman’s picture that appeared in his Instagram feed while having a toilet break.

"This is a thing that I pushed the ['like'] button at the wrong time. I hit a 'like.' I was in the bathroom, I pushed it at the wrong time. ... I just grabbed my phone, and checked it,” explained Sandoval, who left the San Francisco Giants in the winter and signed with the Red Sox for $95 million.

A Barstool Sports blogger had noticed the in-game activity on Sandoval’s social media page and the first one to tweet about it, reports said.

The slugger confessed it was the first time he has ever done something like this during the game. He also added that he met and apologized to Farell and Red Sox General Manager Ben Cherington, but unknown if he will be fined for breaking a Major League Baseball Standard and On-Field Operations Regulation.

One of the MLB rules prohibits ‘uniformed personnel, clubhouse staff and equipment staff are prohibited from using cellular phones, including any type of portable or mobile phone, laptop, texting device or similar portable equipment while on the bench, in the bullpens or on the playing field once batting practice has begun; and are prohibited from using such devices in the clubhouse within 30 minutes of the start of a game.’

Sandoval believes that he should be punished for breaking the rule.

"It was the first time, so I take the mistake and learn from that. I move forward to try not to do it anymore. It's one thing I let my teammates down. Ain't going to happen no more, so I learned from that.”

The incident added insult to injury with the Red Sox already under fire from their sloppy performance losing eight of their nine last games and falling 11 games under .500.