Overview
- ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported that Desi Druschel will rejoin the Yankees as an assistant to pitching coach Matt Blake after spending 2025 as a Mets assistant.
- The Mets allowed Druschel to explore other jobs after declining to retain lead pitching coach Jeremy Hefner as part of a broader October staff overhaul.
- New York’s Queens staff changes have included departures of Hefner, bench coach John Gibbons, hitting coaches Eric Chavez and Jeremy Barnes, infield coach Mike Sarbaugh, and retiring catching instructor Glenn Sherlock.
- The Yankees picked up Blake’s club option for 2026, and Druschel’s return comes as the team reshapes its staff following the exit of longtime bullpen coach Mike Harkey.
- It remains unclear how the Yankees will allocate assistant and bullpen coach duties, with Preston Claiborne still on staff and one of the assistants expected to handle the bullpen role.