Alex Cora and a group of Red Sox will visit Donald Trump

The Red Sox finish their trip to Baltimore this week, but will not all return together to Boston. The team offers two separate charter flights, one returning home Wednesday after the last game of the series, and the other Thursday, outside of office hours. The second is to welcome players, coaches and leaders who will attend a ceremony at the White House for the defending champions; the first address to all those who deliberately skip the meeting with President Trump. It remains to be seen which flight will be the most complete.

The director Alex Cora, after months of well-known indecision on the opportunity to avoid the ceremony to protest the shameful treatment by the Trump administration of Hurricane Maria's consequences in Puerto Rico, his hometown, or to attend the ceremony and use it as a platform, decided a few days ago. In a statement sent to El Nuevo Dia, Cora seemed to imply that skipping the trip to the White House is using his platform to draw attention to the fact that the island is still waiting for help. He is probably right in saying that it will attract more attention than any statement he made in the rose garden.

"Even though the US government has helped, the road ahead is still long and it's OUR reality. I used my voice many times so that Puerto Ricans are not forgotten and that my absence (at the White House) is not different. As such, for the moment, I do not feel comfortable celebrating at the White House. "

He pointed out that in Puerto Rico, "some people still lack basic necessities, others are without electricity and many homes and schools are in very bad shape almost a year and a half after the passage of Hurricane Maria ".

Cora will have company. Scorer Xander Bogaerts said on Sunday that "I will not go," refusing to give details. David Price, Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr., Rafael Devers, Hector Velazquez and Christian Vazquez had previously announced that they would not participate in Thursday's ceremony. Although most have refused to talk about it, it is reasonable to assume that their reasons are similar to those that brought so many warrior and eagle players to speak against a ceremony that had led Trump to disinvite all teams and who had led a number of notable capital players to skip the visit last month.

According to Boston GlobeRick Porcello, Martinez J., Chris Sale, Mitch Moreland, Steve Pearce, Brock Holt, Matt Barnes and Brandon Workman have announced plans to travel to the White House, while a number of players remain undecided.

Team President and CEO Sam Kennedy, who will be assisting the other owners, said the team was standing alongside Cora and all the players who refused to be present.

"We fully support Alex and respect his decision," Kennedy said via SMS. "He and I have been discussing this issue frequently since last November and I know it was a difficult decision for him. I am grateful to John (Henry), Senior Owner, and Tom (Werner) (Chair) for creating a culture conducive to open discussion of these issues and the encouragement of individual decision-making. I appreciate that Alex has spoken openly with our team and supported those who hope to be honored on Thursday. "