Aaron Boone and Brian Cashman confirmed several previously reported changes to the Yankees’ coaching staff on Thursday, acknowledging that longtime bullpen coach Mike Harkey and infield/first base coach Travis Chapman will not return.
Boone added that the Yankees are exploring different roles for assistant hitting coach Pat Roessler, who will be replaced by Jake Hirst.
Cashman noted that no one was terminated. Rather, Harkey and Chapman were on expiring contracts and not invited back. The general manager also said he made the calls that shook up Boone’s staff.
“Every year, I’m charged with making some tough decisions,” Cashman said. “We have good people, and friendships too, but unfortunately, I have to assess everything in the present and where we go as we move forward.”
Cashman also called Roessler “a real contributing member for baseball and for this organization for a long time,” hence the Yankees’ interest in retaining him after two years on staff. Boone, meanwhile, made sure to note Chapman’s impact on player development during his 13 years in the organization, and he called Harkey an “institution” with the Yankees after 16 seasons and two stints as the team’s bullpen coach.
Boone also called Harkey “one of my best friends.”
“Those are awful days to go through,” Boone said of their departures. “Both guys that I have a ton of respect for. Ultimately, the organization needs to make difficult decisions sometimes.”
Neither Boone nor Cashman offered clear explanations when asked why Harkey and Chapman were not retained after the Yankees were eliminated in the ALDS, but the team’s bullpen and infield defense struggled throughout the season.
As for Hirst, Cashman said he had an offer to join another big league staff, so the Yankees had to act quickly if they wanted to keep him after a year as the organization’s minor league coordinator. Lead hitting coach James Rowson, a candidate for the Twins’ managerial vacancy, gave Cashman an “all-in” endorsement of Hirst prior to the promotion.
Hirst first joined the Yankees in 2018, serving as a hitting coach for the club’s Gulf Coast League affiliate before doing the same at High-A and Double-A. He was also an assistant hitting coordinator before becoming the lead one.
Hirst has worked with most of the Bombers’ young, homegrown players in the minors, including Jasson Domínguez, Anthony Volpe, Austin Wells, Ben Rice and Spencer Jones, as well as several former Yankees who have become major leaguers elsewhere.
“He’s really had a lot of success in our organization and has earned this opportunity,” Boone said. “I’m excited that we’ll be adding Jake to the staff, to our hitting group.”
Aaron Boone has confirmed that former Somerset Hitting Coach Jake Hirst (’22-’23) will join the @Yankees‘ MLB staff as an assistant hitting coach in 2026!
In Hirst’s two years as the Pats’ hitting coach, SOM led AA with 402 HR & posted the highest HR rate (1.47/game) in @MiLB. pic.twitter.com/imeSzkREWT
— Somerset Patriots (@SOMPatriots) October 16, 2025
More decisions, in some form or another, are coming to the Yankees’ staff, as pitching coach Matt Blake and major league field coordinator/director of catching Tanner Swanson have club options. Bench coach Brad Ausmus and outfield/third base coach Luis Rojas, two former managers, were on expiring deals but could come back if they don’t land promotions elsewhere.
Rojas, a former Mets skipper, has already interviewed for the Orioles’ managerial opening. There hasn’t been any known interest in Ausmus, who previously led the Angels and Tigers, yet with more than a few teams searching for managers.
Speaking of managers, Cashman also offered a lengthy endorsement of Boone, who will return for a ninth season despite not having a championship on his “résumé.
Asked why Boone remains right for the job, Cashman cited his process, ability to manage different personalities, the people he surrounds himself with and his work ethic.
“I think he’s a good manager,” Cashman said. “I think he’s one of the better managers. And I think in this environment, if he was out there right now, he’d get a job rather quickly. But I also know, because of our environment, he’s someone that can be second-guessed 10 million times over. And I don’t care who you put in, that would be the same for whoever else would be there.
“I trust him. I think he’s a good man. I think he works his tail off. I think he’s got good people that help support him, and he’s got good players.”
