Will

Venable

This is Venable’s first job managing a major league team. He interviewed for the White Sox job last year when Pedro Grifol was hired. Venable previously worked as a first and third base coach with the Cubs for three years and as the Red Sox bench coach for two years before joining the Rangers as the associate manager for the past two years. Venable was beside manager Bruce Bochy as the Rangers won the World Series in 2023. He’ll replace Grady Sizemore, who was 13-32 as Chicago’s interim manager after Grifol, who was 89-190 in a season and a half, was fired on August eighth. The White Sox are in a long-term rebuild after posting the most losses in a single-season in the Modern Era (since 1901) with 121 losses in 2024.

For Venable, it simply came down to his level of comfort with the Rangers. “I talked to them very briefly, but that was at the point where I already had made the decision that I was staying here,” Venable told the New York Post on Friday. Venable has no previous managerial experience, though he’s also been on the coaching staff for the Cubs and Red Sox since ending his playing career. New Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns is expected to consider a wide range of candidates for manager, though many are speculating that Craig Counsell will be the favorite for the job after his contract with the Brewers expires at the end of October.

Venable served as bench coach for the Red Sox over the last two years, but now the 40-year-old former MLB outfielder will be a part of Bruce Bochy’s staff in Texas.

The Red Sox have been dealing with a potential COVID-19 outbreak over the last few days as both Jarren Duran and J.D. Martinez were placed on the COVID-19 injured list after feeling sick. The team is still waiting for their test results, but they announced that Venable has tested positive and will be away from the team.

Venable was floated as a candidate for the managerial opening in Boston last month, before the club opted to bring back Alex Cora. He’ll now essentially act as Cora’s right-hand man. The 38-year-old former major league outfielder -- and graduate of Princeton University -- served as the Cubs’ third base coach in 2020.

Venable joined the Cubs’ front office in 2017 after retiring as a player and then served as the team’s first base coach in 2018 and 2019 before shifting to third base coaching duties in 2020. The 37-year-old graduate of Princeton University should eventually get a chance to manage somewhere, even if he doesn’t ultimately land the job in Boston. Heyman notes that Alex Cora “has been viewed as the favorite” coming off his one-year suspension related to the Astros’ sign-stealing operation from 2017. Dodgers coach George Lombard and Pirates coach Don Kelly are among the other known managerial candidates for the Red Sox.

Venable hasn’t started a game since last Friday due to soreness in his throwing shoulder. If he wakes up without lingering discomfort Tuesday, he could return to the lineup.

Venable has been nursing a back injury of late that’s kept him from starting for over a week. It’s not clear when he might be ready to return to the lineup.

Maybin, who is hitting .170 with one homer and 17 strikeouts in 47 at-bats this season, has batted leadoff in each of his first 12 starts. Will Venable will get a shot at the top of the lineup Thursday.

It sounds like the Padres plan to hit Orlando Hudson second and Venable seventh most days, but that could change at a moment’s notice. If this is the year Venable gets 450 at-bats for the first time, he’ll probably steal 30 bases. He won’t do a whole lot else to help fantasy leaguers, but he won’t need to.