Sean Casey announced on his podcast Wednesday that he will not be returning to the New York Yankees as the team’s hitting coach for the 2024 season.
During an episode of “The Mayor’s Office,” Casey explained that his decision was driven by family reasons and that he had informed Yankees manager Aaron Boone before any formal offer could be made.
“I just told [Boone] that I’m not going to be able to come back next year,” said Casey. “I’ve got my two daughters (ages 13 and 17) at home. Getting divorced a few years ago, I have those girls 50 percent of the time. I just can’t imagine being away for eight months in New York while they’re here in Pittsburgh.”
“It was a lot of fun. I just enjoyed my time,” Casey expressed. “I must admit, it was a tough decision for me. There was no offer made, but I do think I could have come back, had I wanted to. The time right now is not perfect for me. We’ll see what happens in the next few years here.”
Casey, a former player who spent 12 years in the majors with five teams, joined the Yankees as their hitting coach during the July All-Star break after working for MLB Network. His hiring marked the first-ever in-season coaching change by general manager Brian Cashman, who had previously fired Dillon Lawson.
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The Yankees’ offense did not respond positively to the change, with the team’s batting average dropping from .231 to .221, and their OPS decreasing from .711 to .688 in the second half of the season.
A fourth-place finish in the AL East and the absence of playoff baseball in the Bronx for the first time since 2016 indicated that changes were on the horizon. Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner hinted at this during Sportico’s Invest in Sports conference earlier this month.
“I want you to challenge everything, all of our philosophies, all of our practices, but more importantly, in a respectful way, I want you to challenge each other. I want you to critique each other. Check your egos at the door,” he recalled.
So, are more changes coming? Manager Aaron Boone is signed through 2024 and general manager Brian Cashman’s contract expires in 2026. The underwhelming performance of the team this past season, which didn’t sit well with the fans, is likely to lead to difficult decisions regarding other personnel within the organization.
