The 64-year-old, who “voluntarily stepped away” from the Toronto Blue Jays last week, is sparking speculation his return could “reshape the dugout” and inject veteran leadership for a 2026 title push.
NEW YORK — The New York Yankees are reportedly in talks to bring a franchise icon home.
Don “Donnie Baseball” Mattingly, the 64-year-old former team captain and 1985 AL MVP, is in discussions to return to the Bronx as the team’s next bench coach, according to league sources.
The news is “sparking speculation” across baseball, coming just one week after Mattingly “voluntarily stepped away” from his role as bench coach for the Toronto Blue Jays. Mattingly, who helped guide the Blue Jays to a heartbreaking Game 7 loss in the 2025 World Series, confirmed he is not retiring and is looking for “the right job.”
For many in “Yankees Nation,” this is the only job that makes sense.
The potential hiring is being seen as a move to “reshape the dugout” and “inject veteran leadership” into a team “hungry for postseason success.” After a 2025 season that saw the Yankees’ high-powered offense go cold in an ALDS exit, the organization is reportedly looking for a new dynamic.
Mattingly, who has 11 years of managerial experience with the Dodgers and Marlins, would bring a wealth of strategic experience and an “old-school” mentality to support manager Aaron Boone.
The timing is notable, as the Yankees’ 2025 bench coach, Brad Ausmus, was just named the manager for Team Israel in the upcoming 2026 World Baseball Classic. While Ausmus’s status with the team has not been formally announced, the talks with Mattingly suggest the Yankees are ready to make a significant change.
Mattingly, whose entire 14-year playing career was in pinstripes, has famously never won a World Series ring as a player or coach. His potential return is being viewed as a deeply symbolic homecoming, aimed at finishing that quest with the team where his legend began.
