Yankees name Luis Rojas new third-base coach

The Yankees announced today that they’ve hired Luis Rojas as their new third-base coach. Rojas’ name had been floated in rumors for a while, and he’ll now officially take the spot vacated by Phil Nevin.

Rojas comes off a two-year stint as manager of the Mets. It goes without saying that things went off the rails in Queens, with reports surfacing that Rojas had lost the clubhouse, but Rojas still joins the Yankee organization with mostly good reviews. He’s well-regarded in baseball circles, and won’t have to much worry about losing the players’ attention, a job that will remain with Aaron Boone.

Prior to assuming the spot in the manager’s chair, Rojas had accumulated a wealth of experience working with the Mets for over a decade. He performed in various roles with the team’s minor league system, before eventually joining on with the major league team. Rojas seems like a solid addition to Boone’s staff, and will look to improve a team that struggled mightily with baserunning at times during the 2021 season.

Also of note, the Yankees’ Double-A pitching coach, Daniel Moskos, departed to join the Chicago Cubs’ major league coaching staff. Double-A Somerset fielded an excellent pitching unit this past season, leading the league in both ERA and WHIP, while seeing a number of prospects progress significantly. It’s a loss for the Yankees, but it’s a good sign if other teams around baseball are viewing the Yankees’ minor league system as a prime source of coaching talent.