The New York Yankees have hired former Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Angels manager Brad Ausmus to be their new bench coach, reports the New York Post. The team has not yet confirmed the hire. Ausmus replaces Carlos Mendoza, who left the Yankees to become manager of the New York Mets.
Earlier this month chairman Hal Steinbrenner said there would be "big changes" after the Yankees went 82-80 and missed the postseason in 2023, though the only known changes are at hitting coach and bench coach, where Sean Casey and Mendoza left the team voluntarily. Casey stepped away to spend more time with his family and was replaced by James Rowson.
Ausmus, 54, began his professional career with the Yankees. New York selected him in the 48th round of the 1987 amateur draft, and he grew into a quality prospect in their farm system. The Colorado Rockies later took Ausmus, then in Triple-A, in the 1992 expansion draft. Ausmus played 18 big-league seasons with four teams from 1993-2010.
Following his playing career, Ausmus worked in the front office with the San Diego Padres, and also managed the Tigers (2014-17) and Angels (2019). He has a career 314-332 (.486) managerial record. Most recently, Ausmus served as bench coach for the stripped down Oakland Athletics in 2022.
Ultimately, a new bench coach will only help so much. The Yankees have several glaring weakness to address this offseason, most notably their lack of reliable left-handed bats. Here are four moves they can make to improve their roster this winter.
