Against all odds, Terry Francona may find his way back into an MLB dugout.
Longtime ESPN reporter Tim Kurkjian appeared Thursday on 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland. During the appearance, Kurkjian shared some surprising information about the former Cleveland Guardians manager Francona.
“Was told Tito is going to get healthy and then he’ll be back [managing] in a year and a half,” said Kurkjian. “He loves the game. [It’s] part of his fiber in every way. [I] would not be shocked to see him back.”
Francona had spent the previous 11 seasons as Cleveland’s skipper and won AL Manager of the Year in 2022 (the third such honor of his career). But Francona has battled multiple health issues in recent years and failed to finish both the 2020 and the 2021 seasons due to his physical condition (with his issues in 2020 being especially severe). After another brief hospitalization in 2023 that caused him to miss a handful of games, Francona decided to step down following the season.
The Guardians are doing quite well with 39-year-old Stephen Vogt as their new manager, sitting at an AL-best 18-7 so far this season. But it sounds like Francona, who has been around Major League Baseball for more than four decades and is still younger than several current MLB managers at 65, is determined to get back into managing as soon as his health allows for it.
