Boston Red Sox Pablo Sandoval Benched for Using Instagram Mid-Game

Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell benched Pablo Sandoval after the third baseman was caught using Instagram during the game against the Atlanta Braves on Thursday night. The Red Sox lost the game 5-2.

"The clubhouse is not run amok," Farrell said. "This is an incident I believe is isolated. My focus is to get better on the field every day."

The Red Sox will not be fining or suspending Sandoval. Farrell stated, however, that he is unsure if Major League Baseball will take disciplinary action against the player. MLB Standards and On-Field Operations Regulations have a rule that prohibits its players to use any electronic devices staring at 30 minutes before the start of the game to the end of the game.

The two-time All-Star used his phone to "like" several pictures on Instagram when he took a mid-game break to use the bathroom in the clubhouse. Barstool Sports was the first to notice the social media activity.

Sandoval benched, admits that was him liking photos of woman on Instagram during game Said he was using bathroom at the time

— Gordon Edes (@GordonEdes) June 18, 2015

"First time," he said. "I take the mistake, I learn from it. I broke the team rules. It's the wrong thing. My team is down. Ain't going to happen no more." Here is one of the photographs that Sandoval liked:

A photo posted by @diva_legacy on Jun 14, 2015 at 5:46pm PDT

"It is disappointing because it is a rule that is known by all," Farrell said. "It is not tolerable. Any social media is not permissible during a game. There is a time of the day where phones are shut off and you pay attention to the game at hand. When actions run counter to that, there are consequences to be had."

Sandoval apologized to Farrell, general manager Ben Cherington and his teammates. He was replaced by rookie Travis Shaw in the lineup.

The Red Sox are currently last in their American League East Division with a record of 28-39. They have lost eight of their last nine games.