MLB star Jeff Francoeur faked injury to miss a game and play golf with Tiger Woods instead – and his manager helped him

FORMER MLB star Jeff Francoeur has revealed that his former manager, Bobby Cox, once helped him fake an injury so that he could play golf with Tiger Woods.

Francoeur, now 40, played for the Atlanta Braves between 2005 and 2009 before rejoining in 2016.

ESPN

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Francoeur worked under their long-term manager, Cox, during his first stint with the Braves.

Now 83, Cox is in the Braves Hall of Fame, having managed them between 1978 and 1981 and again from 1990 to 2010.

Reminiscing over his time playing for the Oklahoma native, Francoeur made an incredible admission.

Speaking to ESPN’s Tim Kurkjian , Francoeur said: “I’ve been lucky enough, I’ve met President Bush, President Obama… I was not nearly as starstruck as I was when I met Tiger Woods for the first time.

“But what the coolest Bobby Cox story is, guys, is during training he loved us to play golf.

“We’re playing the Yankees at 1:00 on a day game, and I was 22-years-old.

“I’ve been playing for three months as a starter. I was not going to go up to Bobby and be like, ‘hey, I need the day off’, right?

“But he comes up the stretch and goes, ‘(John) Smoltz, he said you had a chance to play with Tiger today’.

“There was a 1:50 tee time and I’m like, ‘Bobby, I’m fine’, I’m playing today.

“He goes, ‘no, I’ll make a you a deal’.

“He said ‘after your first about today, run through first base and kind of rub your ankle a little bit like you’re hurt, right?

“In two days we’re going to Bradenton’, and you know you have to have three starters make a road trip, sure.

“And he’s like, ‘I hate Bradenton’s infield, I don’t want to get any of the guys hurt, so if you go to Bradenton, I’ll let you go play with Tiger today’.

“So sure enough we’re playing the Yankees, 12-13,000 people. I ground out the first about, I run to first start, you know, rubbing my ankle.

Five key MLB rule changes in 2024

1. The pitch clock is reduced from 20 to 18 seconds with runners on base. It will remain at 15 seconds with bases empty.

2. When a pitching change is made, the innings timer will reset to 2:00 rather than 2:15 like it did last year.

3. Teams will only be allowed four mound visits per game in 2024, down from five last season.

4. Fielders and defenders blocking bases will be called for obstruction.

5. The runners’ lane from home plate to first base has been widened to include the dirt between the grass and the white line.

“You know Bobby, he waddles out there with his whole…

“He checks on me. I run inside and literally throw my golf clothes on, didn’t shower.

“I get to the golf course and they’re on the first fairway.

“So I hit my tee shot, we end up playing 27 holes.

Francoeur then had Kurkjian in stitches by revealing that his “injury” reached his wife, Catie.

He added: “And about 4:30 my wife sends me a little thing, that there was an update that said ‘Francoeur day to day with a high ankle sprain.”