Inside The Pinstripes

Two Yankees Coaches Get Manager Interviews

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone could be losing a pair of assistants.
Aug 17, 2020; Bronx, New York, USA; A general view of rain falling on the New York Yankees logo on the first base dugout roof
Aug 17, 2020; Bronx, New York, USA; A general view of rain falling on the New York Yankees logo on the first base dugout roof | Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

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A pair of New York Yankees coaches could be moving onward and upward.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports the Minnesota Twins "are expected to conduct interviews with New York Yankees hitting coach James Rowson." The Twins parted ways with manager Rocco Baldelli last month.

Luis Rojas Interviews With Baltimore

SNY's Andy Martino reports the Baltimore Orioles interviewed Yankees third base coach Luis Rojas. The Orioles fired manager Brandon Hyde in May.

Rojas has previous managing experience. He was skipper for the New York Mets in 2020 and 2021, but never finished better than third place in the National League East. The Yankees hired Rojas as hitting coach after the 2021 season.

But it sounds like the 44-year-old Rojas might not be going anywhere.

"Cubs bench coach Ryan Flaherty is thought among the favorites for Orioles manger, but the Orioles also have not ruled out a return for interim Tony Mansolino," the New York Post's Jon Heyman reports.

Twins Interview James Rowson

As for Rowson, the New York Post reported Tuesday the Yankees granted the Twins permission to speak with their hitting coach.

Minneapolis would be a homecoming for the 49-year-old Rowson, who was Twins hitting coach from 2017 to 2019.

In 2020, he began a three-year stint as Miami Marlins bench coach for Don Mattingly. Rowson spent the 2023 season with the Detroit Tigers as assistant hitting coach before joining the Yankees last year.

The Twins also are expected to interview former Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton and Boston Red Sox bench coach Ramón Vázquez, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

This is proving to be a tumultuous offseason for Yankees coaches.

"According to league sources, the team is promoting hitting coordinatorJake Hirst to the major league staff, moving on from longtime bullpen coach Mike Harkey and first base/infield coach Travis Chapman, and discussing a new role in the organization for beloved assistant hitting coach Pat Roessler," SNY's Andy Martino reported Tuesday.

"The rest of the staff -- bench coach Brad Ausmus, pitching coach Matt Blake, assistant pitching coach Preston Claiborne, assistant hitting coach Casey Dykes, major league field coordinator and director of catching Tanner Swanson-- will likely be invited to return," Martino added.

And of course there's the status of Boone himself. Despite the Yankees losing to the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League Division Series, owner Hal Steinbrenner has not indicated he will part ways with Boone or general manager Brian Cashman.

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Michael Rosenstein
MICHAEL ROSENSTEIN

Professor and award-winning multimedia journalist with three decades of success leading newsrooms, control rooms and classrooms.