Royals hire Matt Quatraro as manager

The Royals have hired Rays bend coach Matt Quatraro as manager according to ESPN reporter Jeff Passan and confirmed by the team.

The 48-year-old has interviewed with the White Sox and Marlins this off-season and has been considered in the past for openings with the Athletics, Giants, and Mets. After a short minor league career with the Rays, Quatraro became a coach with them, managing in the minors from 2006 to 2009. He then became the team’s minor league hitting coordinator before moving on to Cleveland’s Major League staff as assistant hitting coach in 2014. He joined Tampa’s big league staff in 2017 as third base coach, then became bench coach in 2018.