The Yankees fired hitting coach Dillon Lawson on Sunday, marking the first time a coach has been let go in-season under general manager Brian Cashman.
The team has not named a replacement for Lawson, who assumed the hitting coach role before the 2022 season and has been with the Yankees organization for five years.
The Yankees have a team batting average of .231 through 91 games, which ranks 28th out of the 30 MLB teams. Only the 39-50 Detroit Tigers and 25-67 Oakland A’s are worse.
“It has been well documented that I have been reluctant in the past to make changes to our coaching staff in the middle of a season,” Cashman said in a statement Sunday. “I am a big believer that successes and failures are collective efforts. However, I ultimately felt that a change was needed and that a new voice overseeing our hitting operations would give us the best chance to perform closer to our capabilities as we move forward into the second half of our season.”