Royals bench coach Pedro Grifol is reportedly set to be the next manager of the White Sox, sources told ESPN’s Buster Olney on Tuesday.
An announcement by the team is expected sometime this week.
The 52-year-old has worked in Kansas City since the 2013 season, including during the ‘15 World Series championship season. The Royals recently interviewed Grifol for their manager position, but Rays bench coach Matt Quatraro was hired instead.
Grifol will replace Tony La Russa as the White Sox’s manager. La Russa began his second stint coaching Chicago in 2021. However, the 78-year-old did not finish the ’22 season due to health issues, causing Miguel Cairo to act as interim manager for the remainder of the season.
The White Sox expressed at the end of their season that La Russa would not be returning for the 2023 season.
The other potential managers interviewed for the position included Cairo, Astros bench coach Joe Espada and Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza, according to Olney.
The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported that multiple White Sox coaches will not be asked back next season, although it’s unclear who he’s referring to at this time. Rosenthal did note that pitching coach Ethan Katz will return.
The White Sox finished 81–81 this season and placed second in the AL Central, causing them missing the playoffs despite preseason expectations that the team would be a postseason contender.
