Top Giants coach leaving to join AL team

Sep 15, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; General view of a San Francisco Giants cap and glove during the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Bob Melvin will have one more opening to fill on his new coaching staff.

MLB insider Robert Murray of FanSided reported on Saturday that San Francisco Giants bench coach Kai Correa is leaving to join the Cleveland Guardians. Correa’s role is unspecified at the moment, but he will be a member of Cleveland’s major-league coaching staff, Murray adds.

The 35-year-old Correa is seen as a rising star in the MLB coaching ranks. After joining the Giants in 2020, he would become former manager Gabe Kapler’s right-hand man and took over as interim manager for the last few games of the 2023 season after Kapler was fired. In addition to his duties as a bench coach, Correa also served as the infield instructor for San Francisco.

This marks a reunion for Correa, who already spent time in the Cleveland organization previously. He was infield coach for their Rookie League team in 2018 and then spent 2019 as their short-season defensive coordinator. It probably helps too that someone in Correa’s age range just got hired as the Guardians’ new manager.