One day after Chad Tracy’s debut as interim manager, the Red Sox have finalized much of their new-look coaching staff.
First base coach José Flores, who served as Tracy’s bench coach at Triple-A Worcester for three seasons (2022-2024), was named interim bench coach, sources confirmed Monday, though his official new title has not been confirmed. To replace Flores, the Red Sox promoted minor league coordinator Pablo Cabrera to the major league staff as their first base coach. A third newcomer is Jack Simonetty, who was named to the staff as an interim hitting assistant.
Flores, who joined Alex Cora’s staff in Boston ahead of last season, made sense in the bench coach role due to his close relationship with Tracy.
“I think in the immediate, there’s probably some plans on talking through other people internally that we can get here for helping hands,” Tracy said Sunday morning at Camden Yards. “We’ll talk more about that today as we get after the game, onto the plane. But I do think that the thought is getting somebody in there, whether that’s Flo or somebody in there that’s experienced, that can stand with me and Bails (pitching coach Andrew Bailey) obviously has a lot of experience.”
Cabrera joins interim third base coach Chad Epperson (who left his managerial role at Double-A Portland to join the big league team) and hitting coach Collin Hetzler, who was promoted along with Tracy from the WooSox. Boston’s new-look hitting staff will have both Hetzler and John Soteropulos (formerly an assistant hitting coach on Alex Cora’s staff) assuming “hitting coach” titles, according to a source, with Simonetty as an assistant. Pitching coach Andrew Bailey, bullpen coach Chris Holt and catching coach Parker Guinn all remain on the staff along with major league pitching strategist Devin Rose and bullpen catcher Charlie Madden. According to Alex Speier of The Boston Globe, the Red Sox are also adding a new bullpen catcher in Drew Ehrhard, a 27-year-old who has been playing for Double-A Portland. It appears Ehrhard, a former undrafted free agent out of the University of Tampa, is retiring as a player.
The Red Sox made widespread staff changes Saturday when they fired Cora and let go six of his coaches, a group that included bench coach Ramón Vázquez, hitting coach Pete Fatse, third base/outfield coach Kyle Hudson, assistant hitting coach Dillon Lawson, major league hitting strategy coach Joe Cronin and game planning coordinator Jason Varitek.
Cabrera, 28, has been with the Red Sox since 2023 as a minor league coach in a variety of roles. He was promoted to his new role in November. Simonetty, a 26-year-old Springfield College native, was a hitting coach for Boston’s Florida Complex League affiliate this year after serving as an assistant hitting coach for Single-A Salem a year ago. Both are youthful additions to a staff that added Hetzler, 37, earlier this week.
Epperson, 54, is a longtime minor league coach who interviewed for the Nationals’ managerial opening this season. Flores, 55, coached for the Cubs, Phillies and Orioles in a variety of roles from 2012 to 2020.
The Red Sox will have a more complete coaching staff for Monday’s game in Toronto after playing Sunday’s game in Baltimore with a small group of coaches following Saturday’s purge.
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