Former Dodgers Outfielder Hired to Be MLB Manager for First Time in Career

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The Chicago White Sox are set to hire Will Venable as their new manager, as reported by a major-league source.

Venable joins the White Sox after spending the last two years as the associate manager for the Texas Rangers under Bruce Bochy, where he celebrated a World Series title in 2023. A former outfielder, Venable played nine seasons in Major League Baseball with the Rangers, San Diego Padres, and Los Angeles Dodgers from 2008 to 2016.

This is his first big league managing job.

The White Sox concluded the 2024 season with a record of 41-121, marking the most losses in modern baseball history.

Chicago dismissed manager Pedro Grifol in August following a franchise-record 21-game losing streak. Grady Sizemore stepped in as interim manager, ending the season with a 13-32 record.

However, general manager Chris Getz stated in August that current staff members would not be considered for the permanent manager position.

“I think it’s important to bring in a new voice, a fresh voice, perhaps that’s been exposed to areas of this game that we don’t currently have in our organization,” Getz said at the time. “I’m very curious to learn more about some of these individuals and then we’ll get it to the finish line and name the next manager.”

Prior to his time with the Rangers, Venable served on the coaching staff of the Cubs from 2018 to 2020 and the Boston Red Sox from 2021 to 2022.

The Cubs initially brought Venable on board as a special assistant to baseball operations in September 2017. He subsequently held positions as the team’s first-base coach from 2018 to 2019 and as the third-base coach in 2020.

Venable spent most of his playing career with the San Diego Padres before being traded to the Rangers in 2015. He concluded his career with the Dodgers in 2016.

Over the course of 967 games, Venable posted a batting average of .249 and hit 81 home runs, playing exclusively as an outfielder.

Venable will be the 42nd manager in the franchise's history. He was selected from a wide range of candidates, which included Guardians bench coach Craig Albernaz, Padres special assistant A.J. Ellis, Dodgers first-base coach Clayton McCullough, and Sizemore, who gained favor among players during his brief tenure as interim manager.

MLB.com’s Scott Merkin first reported the news. The White Sox have not yet commented.


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Maren Angus-Coombs
MAREN ANGUS-COOMBS

Maren Angus-Coombs was born in Los Angeles and raised in Nashville, Tenn. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State and has been a sports writer since 2008. Despite growing up in the South, her sports obsession has always been in Los Angeles. She is currently a staff writer at the LA Sports Report Network.