Rockies fire hitting coach, appoint former manager Hurdle
The Colorado Rockies relieved hitting coach Hensley Meulens of his duties and are replacing him with former manager Clint Hurdle for the remainder of the season, the club announced Thursday.
Hurdle was serving as a special assistant to Rockies general manager Bill Schmidt. The 67-year-old managed the Rockies from 2002-09, leading the franchise to its only World Series appearance in 2007. Before that, Hurdle was the Rockies' hitting coach from 1997-2002.
Meulens had been in the role since the 2023 campaign. The Rockies have struggled at the plate this season, ranking last in the league in runs scored, 21st in batting average, 24th in slugging percentage, and tied for 26th in home runs.
"We haven't produced offensively," Rockies general manager Bill Schmidt said, according to MLB.com's Thomas Harding. "It's been a struggle so far. We're looking to change the voice a little bit here with Clint. And I have nothing but respect for 'Bam Bam' (Meulens), his work ethic, and his knowledge as a baseball person. I wish him nothing but the best. We just needed to change direction a little bit with the offense to get it going."
The Rockies entered play Thursday with a league-worst 3-15 record.