Tony La Russa needs to walk away from Chicago White Sox for himself

There have been plenty of words typed about why Tony La Russa and the Chicago White Sox need to part ways.

This time, the questions about La Russa’s future are not due to his performance on the bench. Instead, they have to do with his health issues as James Fegan from The Athletic reported that La Russa had a pacemaker inserted, making his return to the bench uncertain. He said that he does not want to be a distraction and that it is up to his doctors as to whether or not he returns.

Tony La Russa needs to focus on health, not Chicago White Sox

La Russa was a questionable choice when he was hired in the first place. He had been away from the bench for a decade at that point, seemingly having been brought in to satisfy Jerry Reinsdorf’s ongoing longing after he was fired 35 years before. His time in the White Sox dugout had done nothing to assuage those concerns.

But there are other concerns now. La Russa is 77 years old and has heart issues requiring that he had a pacemaker inserted. His health has to be a priority, even if his doctors clear him to return to the dugout.

This should be the end of the line. He had not looked well when he returned to the White Sox to be part of the festivities to honor Dave Stewart with the A’s. Considering he had the pacemaker installed recently, that was understandable. But it also shows that La Russa should be focused on his health instead of figuring out lineups and strategy for the White Sox at this point in his life.

That does not mean that La Russa should be done with baseball. He could easily serve in an advisory capacity in the White Sox front office, a position with far less stress and travel that would allow him to focus on his wellbeing. At this point, that has to be the primary concern.

Tony La Russa had a pacemaker inserted recently. It is time for the Chicago White Sox manager to hang it up one more time to focus on his health.