A familiar face will be returning to Oakland to help the A’s with their defensive woes.
Two sources confirmed for CSN California that the team has been discussing bringing back former coach Ron Washington to work with infielders as a special instructor, with one source saying it’s a certainty that Washington will rejoin the A’s.
Washington, who served as Oakland’s infield coach and third base coach from 1997-2006 and then managed the Texas Rangers from 2007-14, would serve as a special instructor of some sort, with Mike Gallego already on board as the full-time infield coach and third-base coach.
Washington unexpectedly resigned as the Rangers’ manager on Sept. 5 of last season, citing personal reasons. He later announced in a news conference that he stepped down after having an affair outside of his marriage. Washington led the Rangers to World Series appearances in 2010 and 2011, the franchise’s first trips to the Fall Classic.
Washington joined the A’s as their first-base coach in 1996 before taking over as their infield and third base coach the following season. He helped mold third baseman Eric Chavez into a six-time Gold Glover and also helped develop shortstop Miguel Tejada, the 2002 AL MVP.
The A’s entered Wednesday’s game at Houston with a major league-leading 43 errors. Shortstop Marcus Semien committed his major league-high 16th error Wednesday when he bounced a throw to first.
The San Francisco Chronicle was first to report that the A’s were considering reuniting with Washington.
