Sports

Twins fire four coaches after late hitting slump

Twins fire four coaches after late hitting slump

The Minnesota Twins dismissed hitting coaches Rudy Hernandez and David Popkins, assistant hitting coach Derek Shomon, and assistant bench/infield coach Tony Diaz on Wednesday.

The moves come on the heels of the Twins struggling to find their offense over the final six weeks of the season, as Minnesota (82-80) lost 27 of its last 39 games and failed to secure a playoff berth despite holding a five-game cushion in the American League wild-card race in mid-August.

The Twins hit .218 in September, the second-worst average in the majors behind the Kansas City Royals (.203).

Minnesota announced Sunday that manager Rocco Baldelli would return in 2025.

Hernandez, 56, has held various roles with the Twins since joining the organization in 1996. He served as the assistant hitting coach from 2015 to 2019 before serving as one of the primary hitting coaches from 2020 to 2024.

Popkins, 34, has spent the past three seasons as one of the club’s hitting coaches, while Shomon, 34, has worked the past two campaigns as assistant hitting coach.

Diaz, 47, has spent the past three seasons as the assistant bench/infield coach.

Field Level Media contributed to this report.