Jays move Mattingly to full-time bench coach
TORONTO — The Blue Jays are moving Don Mattingly back to the position of full-time bench coach after the former six-time All-Star also spent the 2024 season as the team’s offensive coordinator.
“He’s excited about that opportunity to impact us and [manager John Schneider] in a different way and a bigger way,” general manager Ross Atkins said Wednesday at his end-of-season news conference. “We think the world of Donnie. He’s been incredible and open-minded to change as well.”
Atkins said associate manager DeMarlo Hale will remain in his role supporting Schneider in 2025.
However, Atkins said hitting coach Guillermo Martinez, field coordinator Gil Kim and assistant pitching coach Jeff Ware won’t return after the Blue Jays went 74-88 and finished last in the American League East.
The Blue Jays scored 671 runs this season, the 23rd-highest total. The Arizona Diamondbacks led baseball with 886 runs.
Toronto hit 156 home runs, the fifth-lowest total in the majors. The New York Yankees led baseball with 237 homers.
Atkins said Ware is under contract and will be offered another role in the organization. Kim is not under contract but also will be offered another role. Both are free to pursue other opportunities, Atkins said.
Martinez is not under contract and will not be back with the Blue Jays.
A former Yankees slugger, Mattingly joined Toronto as bench coach in November 2022 after seven seasons as Miami Marlins manager. He won National League Manager of the Year honors with the Marlins in 2020.
Before Miami, Mattingly won three division titles in five seasons as manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers. He also worked as hitting coach and bench coach for the Yankees and as hitting coach of the Dodgers before his managerial stint in Los Angeles.
Mattingly spent his entire 14-year playing career with the Yankees, winning nine Gold Gloves at first base, three Silver Slugger awards, the 1984 AL batting title and the 1985 AL MVP award.
Move aside, hot dogs, peanuts and Cracker Jack. Baseball teams are becoming more innovative and stepping up their food game in 2025.
One of those creations is the Philadelphia Phillies‘ limited-edition “Fall Classic Shake,” which includes a vanilla soft serve, blended with dulce de leche. If that wasn’t enough, an apple cider donut tops it off. Philadelphia has been on a heater in the kitchen recently — it also unveiled a postseason 9-9-9 challenge box last Friday.
The Phillies have a limited-edition “Fall Classic Shake” with vanilla soft serve blended with dulce de leche and topped with an apple cider donut 😮 pic.twitter.com/H45ouWQpH3
— MLB (@MLB) October 6, 2025
Here are more ballpark innovations that can be found at MLB concession stands this season:
The Mariners have a helmet filled with crab claws for the Postseason 🤤 pic.twitter.com/5ih56n8FfJ
— MLB (@MLB) October 3, 2025
The Yankees have an exclusive Jaws milkshake and Jaws-Yankees souvenir cup to celebrate the movie’s 50th anniversary 🦈
The shake is made with vanilla ice cream, raspberry sauce, whipped cream, blue gummy sharks and Life Savers Gummies
(via @yankeestadium) pic.twitter.com/OxoO20m4cg
— MLB (@MLB) June 20, 2025
The Giants have exclusive food items for their Korean Heritage Night tonight, including a loaded garlic fries helmet 👀
Made with French fries, kimchi, fried spam, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper pic.twitter.com/34psdiXoH5
— MLB (@MLB) May 13, 2025
Houston Astros: Fried chicken waffle sandwich
The Astros have a new fried chicken waffle sandwich made with pepper jack cheese, bacon onion jam and honey chipotle aioli 🤤 pic.twitter.com/5FlcKJBR4q
— MLB (@MLB) April 24, 2025
The Marlins have an actual tower of hot dogs at home games this year 🤤
It features 4 hot dogs, 4 Polish sausages and 4 corn dogs, along with loaded salchipapas. It comes with ketchup, mustard, relish, sauerkraut and sweet onions
(via @LevyRestaurants) pic.twitter.com/4xaiTZIM86
— MLB (@MLB) April 17, 2025
The Blue Jays have Cotton Candy Fries at home games this season 😳 pic.twitter.com/GhxpxUmk93
— MLB (@MLB) April 14, 2025
The Padres will have Banana Bread Pudding Helmets at games this year 😱
(via @sammylev) pic.twitter.com/kmVJk2MnLI
— MLB (@MLB) March 27, 2025
The Rangers will have a 24-INCH BURRITO at games this year 🤯
The Boomstick Burrito is made with a 26-inch tortilla filled with rice, beans, seasoned taco meat, nacho cheese, pico de gallo, lettuce and sour cream
(via @rangers) pic.twitter.com/1Peubt1Lfu
— MLB (@MLB) March 25, 2025
The Yankees will have tiramisu helmets at games this year 🤤
Made with espresso mascarpone cream, lady finger cookies, cocoa powder pic.twitter.com/ikvquRbfYZ
— MLB (@MLB) March 20, 2025
New massive White Sox milkshake just dropped 👀
Introducing the Celebration Cake Shake 🎂
Made with Birthday Cake ice cream, confetti cake, a pinwheel cookie and a maraschino cherry
(via @whitesox) pic.twitter.com/zkGE271Mxf
— MLB (@MLB) March 19, 2025
Washington Nationals: Jake and Jake’s Smoked Brisket Sandwich
In collaboration with Joe’s Kansas City BBQ, the Royals will offer a new item this season: the Z-Man Sandwich. It includes slow-smoked beef brisket and provolone cheese on a toasted kaiser roll, topped with two onion rings.
The Z-Man meets The K.
Coming this season, @joeskc at Kauffman Stadium. pic.twitter.com/BNBtNd6mOL
— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) March 4, 2025
Jackson Chourio will start in left field for Game 2 of the NLDS for the Milwaukee Brewers and bat leadoff against the Chicago Cubs, manager Pat Murphy said Monday.
Chourio, 21, had an MRI after leaving Game 1 on Saturday with a right hamstring injury after legging out an infield hit in the bottom of the second inning. It’s the same hamstring he injured in July — also while playing against the Cubs.
Murphy said Chourio isn’t 100% and would be removed if he’s hampered at all by the injury.
“I’m sure it’s not 100%, but I’m more worried about behavior than feelings,” Murphy said. “However he feels isn’t as important as how he behaves. If he gets in a situation where he doesn’t feel like he can do the job, we’re going to take him out.”
Chourio was 3-for-3 with three RBIs in Game 1 before he suffered the injury. He hit .270 with 21 home runs and 78 RBIs during the regular season.
The Brewers lead the best-of-5 series 1-0.
ESPN’s Jesse Rogers and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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