Will Venable, a former Dodgers outfielder, will be the Chicago White Sox’s new manager beginning next season. ESPN’s Jeff Passan broke the news on X on Tuesday.
Venable, who turned 42 on Tuesday, will become the 44th manager in White Sox team history.
After retiring in 2016, Venable remained in baseball, serving as a special assistant for the Chicago Cubs in 2017. From 2018 until 2020, he served as the team’s base coach. In 2021, he became the Boston Red Sox’s bench coach. He most recently spent two seasons as the Texas Rangers’ associate manager, working alongside Bruce Bochy.
Venable will succeed Grady Sizemore, who served as the team’s interim manager. Although Sizemore was a candidate for the permanent post, the franchise eventually chose Venable.
The last four White Sox managers have each served for one or fewer seasons. Peter Grifol, the manager this season, was fired in August after breaking the modern-day record with 121 losses.
In the seventh round of the 2005 MLB draft, the San Diego Padres selected Venable with the 218th overall pick. After making his MLB debut on August 29, 2008, Venable spent nine seasons in the league. In 2013, the Padres named Venable their MVP. He won the title for becoming the seventh player in franchise history to hit 20 home runs and steal 20 bases in a single season.
The Greenbrae, California native played seven and a half seasons for the Padres. The San Diego Padres then traded Venable to the Texas Rangers for catcher Marcus Greene Jr. and “a player to be announced later.”
In 2016, the Dodgers signed Venable as a free agent. Venable finished his career with the Dodgers, although spent the majority of the season in the minors. Los Angeles designated Venable for assignment twice, allowing him to make only 12 MLB appearances.
