BOSTON — The Boston Red Sox are looking for a new hitting coach.

Greg Colbrunn, who was the team’s hitting coach for the past two seasons, says he will not return for 2015.

The 13-year major leaguer oversaw an offense that led baseball in runs, slugging and on-base percentage last year, when the Red Sox won the World Series.

This year’s team, however, slumped badly and finished last in the AL East.

Colbrunn missed part of this season after suffering from bleeding on the brain. The Red Sox announced Colbrunn’s departure on Friday.

BLUE JAYS: General Manager Alex Anthopoulos is coming back despite his team’s fade down the stretch.

Advertisement

Paul Beeston, the Blue Jays chief executive officer, put to rest any speculation about Anthopoulos’ job just days after Toronto finished third in the AL East at 83-79, extending a playoff drought to 21 years – longest in the majors.

“Alex, I can say for a fact, is back,” Beeston said Friday in a radio interview.

RANGERS: Interim manager Tim Bogar is among six more candidates Texas plan to interview beginning next week in their search for Ron Washington’s full-time replacement.

The Rangers announced their interview plans Friday. The team also said the Arizona Diamondbacks have requested and were granted permission to speak to Bogar about their managerial vacancy.

Bogar, who joined the Rangers last offseason as their bench coach, had a 14-8 record as interim manager after Washington resigned for personal reasons Sept. 5.

Texas also announced plans to interview Pittsburgh bench coach Jeff Banister, Cleveland bullpen coach Kevin Cash, Boston bench coach Torey Lovullo, Chicago White Sox third base coach Joe McEwing and former major league player Alex Cora.

Advertisement

Diamondbacks: The Arizona Diamondbacks say Kevin Towers has told the team that he is leaving the organization.

Friday’s announcement by the team of Towers’ departure comes a month after he was stripped of his general manager title. He has been replaced by Dave Stewart.

The Diamondbacks also said that the contract of assistant general manager Billy Ryan will not be renewed.

In a statement, team President Derrick Hall said that for Towers to remain would have created an “awkwardness” with the new management.

The Diamondbacks named Stewart general manager last week. The team is searching for a replacement for fired manager Kirk Gibson.

MARLINS: Jose Fernandez released the ball with such velocity that the sound of it landing in the catcher’s mitt echoed crisply throughout Marlins Park.

And to think, he’s nowhere close to throwing hard yet.

Fernandez’s recovery from elbow-reconstruction surgery is turning another corner, with the Miami’ ace now starting a throwing program. He made 25 tosses on Friday, the second throwing session of a rehab project that is still a long way from being finished.

“Feels like I never had surgery and I never stopped throwing,” Fernandez said. “It’s weird because you think you will feel it. You guys saw there, the ball’s just coming out of my hand incredible.”


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.