Sources – White Sox to name Will Venable their next manager

The Chicago White Sox are hiring Texas Rangers coach Will Venable as their next manager, sources familiar with the situation confirmed to ESPN on Tuesday night.

Venable, 42, spent nine years in the big leagues, starting as a special assistant with the Chicago Cubs in 2017 and then as their base coach from 2018 to 2020. He was Boston’s bench coach. Before being hired by Texas in 2021, he served as an associate manager next to Bruce Bochy for the past two seasons.

Most of Venable’s playing career was spent in San Diego before he was traded to the Rangers in 2015. He played for the Dodgers in 2016 before retiring.

Venable hit .249 with 81 career home runs in 967 games, playing exclusively in the outfield.

Venable replaces interim manager Grady Sizemore, who was a candidate for the permanent job. The White Sox fired former manager Pedro Grifol in August after the team broke the modern-day record for hits with 121 this season.

The White Sox have been in steady decline since winning the division in 2021. A 101-loss season in 2022 cost former general manager Rick Hahn and team president Kenny Williams their jobs as longtime owner Jerry Reinsdorf hired former White Sox player Chris Getz. Head of the team’s baseball department.

Over the past year, Getz has overhauled the front office, now hiring a respected longtime player and coach as his first manager.

Venable is the 42nd manager in franchise history. Guardians bench coach Craig Albernas, Padres special assistant A.J. He was selected from a long list of candidates that included Ellis, Dodgers first-base coach Clayton McCollough and Sizemore.

MLB.com first reported Venable’s expected hiring. The announcement is expected ahead of the GM meetings starting next Tuesday.