Mets hire Jim Riggleman as bench coach
The Mets have added veteran manager Jim Riggleman as the bench coach for Mickey Callaway’s 2019 staff, the team announced on Monday night.
Riggleman, 66, will replace Gary DiSarcina, who will coach third base for the Mets in 2019. The lack of an experienced bench coach with National League knowledge was seen as a handicap to Callaway, a rookie manager who used to be an American League pitching coach.
In a 2-1, 10-inning loss at Cincinnati on May 9, Asdrubal Cabrera and Wilmer Flores batted out of order because the handwritten lineup card given to umpires was different from a computer-printed version posted in the Mets’ dugout. On July 9, Callaway brought in lefthander Jerry Blevins against Philadelphia before lefty-hitting Odubel Herrera was announced as a pinch hitter, allowing Phillies manager Gabe Kapler to bat righty-hitting Jesmuel Valentin without wasting a player. Callaway insisted that was the matchup he wanted.
There will be no such issues with Riggleman, who certainly knows his way around a double switch. Riggleman has managed 1,630 major-league games for the Padres, Cubs, Mariners, Nationals and Reds (winning only 44.5 percent of them).
“I’m excited to have Jim’s knowledge alongside me,” Callaway said in a statement released by the Mets. “He’ll be a tremendous resource for me and the entire coaching staff.”
Riggleman, a native of Fort Dix, New Jersey, was named the Reds’ interim manager on April 19 after the firing of Bryan Price. He had been the club’s bench coach. The Reds went 64-80 under Riggleman and interviewed him for the permanent position but ended up giving it to David Bell.
“Jim brings a wealth of experience to the coaching staff,” Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen said in a statement. “His familiarity with the National League will be a great asset.”
Riggleman, in a statement, said: “I’m thrilled to be joining the Mets’ coaching staff. I can’t wait to get underway. I think this team has a lot of potential.”
The Mets still are looking for a hitting coach to replace Pat Roessler and a bullpen coach to replace Ricky Bones.
Mets add OF/1B. The Mets claimed outfielder-first baseman Jordan Patterson off waivers from the Colorado Rockies.
Patterson, 26, appeared in 10 games with the Rockies in 2016, going 8-for-18 with two RBIs. That is the lefthanded hitter’s only major-league action.
Last season, Patterson hit .271 with 26 homers and 76 RBIs in 118 games with Albuquerque (Triple-A) of the Pacific Coast League. MLB.com ranked him as the Rockies’ 16th-best prospect.
Wheeler, McNeil to appear in Queens. Zack Wheeler and Jeff McNeil will appear at the Mets Holiday Shopping Spree at the Queens Boulevard Target in Elmhurst at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday. Ten children from the New York City area will receive a total of $800 in gift cards for themselves and their families and will have a pizza party with the players.
With AP
Anthony Rieber covers sports media and business and professional sports (you know, games and trades and things). He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since Jan. 1, 2026.
