Reports: Yankees hiring Sean Casey as new hitting coach

Jul 10, 2023, 01:18 PM ET

The New York Yankees are turning to Sean Casey as their new hitting coach, according to multiple reports.

According to the New York Post, which first reported the news, it is expected that Casey will fill the role for the remainder of the season so he can better decide if it’s a position he would like to remain in going forward. Casey, 49, has been working as an analyst for MLB Network.

The Yankees fired hitting coach Dillon Lawson after their 7-4 loss to the Chicago Cubs on Sunday, which ended the team’s first half.

Casey, a three-time All-Star who hit .302 in 12 major league seasons, was a teammate of Yankees manager Aaron Boone when both played for the Cincinnati Reds from 1998-2003.

New York’s .231 batting average is 28th among the 30 major league teams, ahead of only Detroit and Oakland. The Yankees are batting a major league-worst .218 in 31 games since Aaron Judge tore a ligament in his right big toe on June 3, going 14-17 and entering the All-Star break in fourth place of the AL East at 49-42.

Lawson’s dismissal was New York’s first in-season coaching change since Nardi Contreras replaced Billy Connors in July 1995 as pitching coach on Buck Showalter’s staff.

The Yankees headed into the break with Giancarlo Stanton hitting .203 and Anthony Rizzo is hitting .168 with no homers and seven RBI since hurting his neck in a collision May 28. Josh Donaldson is batting .152 while DJ LeMahieu is hitting .220 after slumping last September because of a toe injury and then missing the playoffs.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.