The Associated Press has been informed by a person familiar with the hiring process that Joe Espada will take over as manager of the Houston Astros on Monday.
Since the team hadn’t made the announcement, the individual spoke to the AP on Sunday under the condition of anonymity. A news conference by the Astros is scheduled for Monday morning.
Espada will succeed Dusty Baker, who announced his retirement last month.
For the 48-year-old Espada, who has been Houston’s bench coach since 2018, this will be his first management role.
In the Marlins organization, Espada started his coaching career in the minor leagues before becoming the third base coach for the major league team in 2010.
stayed with the Marlins for the entirety of the 2013 campaign before accepting a position as Brian Cashman’s special assistant at the New York Yankees. He became a member of the Yankees coaching staff in 2015 and served as their third base and infield coach until the end of the 2017 campaign.
Born in Puerto Rico, Espada spent nine seasons in the minor leagues after being selected by the Oakland Athletics in the second round of the 1996 amateur draft. As a player, he reached Triple-A, but he never made it to the majors, so he retired at age 29 to start his coaching career.
