Pablo Sandoval may need a little help if he hopes to get his starting job with the Red Sox back.
The third baseman, who is currently on the 15-day disabled list due to a shoulder injury, reported to spring training overweight and subsequently lost his job at the hot corner to Travis Shaw. Sandoval has always battled weight problems, but one of his former personal trainers claims he needs a "babysitter" to avoid overeating.
"He needs to be smart enough to say there's a problem," said Ethan Banning, owner of Triple Threat Performance in Phoenix, in an interview with the Boston Herald. "It's like the alcoholic that won't admit he's an alcoholic: well, you can't address that you're an alcoholic if you don't ever admit there's a problem."
Sandoval worked with Banning in 2011 and 2012 when he played for the Giants. The third baseman made the All-Star team in both of those seasons, his only appearances in the Midsummer Classic to date, and won the second of three World Series with San Francisco in 2012.
Banning said he believes Sandoval, who weighs 255 pounds, according to Baseballreference.com, is "embarrassed right now" and added that he's always had a problem when it comes to eating too much.
"He's proven to me and shown consistently that he's got to have somebody like me holding his hand," Banning said. "And it's not an exercise thing, it's an eating thing. Obviously exercise is an important factor in it, a very important factor, but eating is going to be the component that needs to be managed and monitored. We had a chef on staff that cooked all his meals."
Sandoval parlayed his 2014 World Series championship into a five-year, $95 million contract with the Red Sox, but he had a horrific first year in Boston in 2015. The third baseman hit .245 with 10 home runs and 47 RBIs.
After showing up overweight to spring training, Sandoval lost his job to Shaw, who is hitting .292 through eight games with three doubles and four runs.
In order to get his job back, Sandoval may have to work closely with a trainer once again. The Red Sox are 4-4 this season and in second place in the AL East.
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