NEW YORK — The New York Yankees have hired 12-year big league veteran Sean Casey as their hitting coach for the remainder of this season, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal has not been formally announced. Casey, 49, has been working for MLB Network as an analyst.
Casey’s hiring comes a day after the Yankees fired hitting coach Dillon Lawson following their 7-4 loss to the Chicago Cubs. New York is eight games behind Tampa Bay in the AL East and has lost four of five.
New York is batting just .231 and ranks 21st in the majors. The Yankees have played more than a month without reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge, who injured his toe on June 3 after colliding with the right field wall at Dodger Stadium. Judge hit an AL-record 62 homers last season.
Casey, an Upper St. Clair native, batted .302 with 130 home runs and 735 RBIs over 12 seasons, including eight with the Cincinnati Reds highlighted by three NL All-Star selections. He also played with Pittsburgh, Detroit and Boston.
It’s not the first time Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has plucked a TV personality to join the coaching staff. Manager Aaron Boone worked for ESPN before being hired in 2018.
Casey and Boone were teammates in Cincinnati from 1998-2003.
