NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Yankees have finalized manager Aaron Boone’s coaching staff for 2022, including new additions at hitting coach, first base coach and third base coach.
Bench coach Carlos Mendoza, pitching coach Matt Blake and catching coordinator Tanner Swanson are back for their third seasons in pinstripes, while bullpen coach Mike Harkey returns for a 13th year, the club said Tuesday. New to the staff are hitting coach Dillon Lawson, assistant hitting coaches Eric Chavez and Casey Dykes, third base/outfield coach Luis Rojas, first base/infield coach Travis Chapman and assistant pitching coach Desi Druschel.
New York fired hitting coach Marcus Thames, third base coach Phil Nevin and assistant hitting coach P.J. Pilittere after the Yankees went 92-70 and lost the AL wild-card game against Boston. First base coach Reggie Willits left to coach at the University of Oklahoma.
The 36-year-old Lawson was promoted after three years as New York’s minor league hitting coordinator. He’ll be helped on the offensive side by Chavez and Dykes. Chavez, 44, had a 17-year big league career and spent the past five seasons as a special assistant with the Los Angeles Angels. The 31-year-old Dykes was the hitting coach for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last season.
Rojas was fired by the Mets in October after two underwhelming years as manager. The 40-year-old was with the Mets organization for 16 years. He was replaced in Queens by Buck Showalter, who held his introductory press conference Tuesday.
Chapman is entering his 10th season with the Yankees. Most recently, the 43-year-old was New York’s minor league infield coordinator.
The 46-year-old Druschel spent the past three years as the club’s manager of pitch development.
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