HOUSTON, TX — Longtime Astros catcher Brad Ausmus has been named as the 21st manager in Astros franchise history. The announcement was made by Astros General Manager Randy Flores.
The press conference is scheduled for Friday at 10 AM, and will be live streamed on Astros.com, on the Astros Facebook page, the Astros YouTube channel and on the Astros X account.
Ausmus, 57, has spent four of the last five seasons as a Major League bench coach for the New York Yankees (2024-26) and Oakland A’s (2022). Prior
to those stints, Ausmus twice managed in the Major Leagues, for the 2019 Angels and the 2014-17 Tigers. Ausmus also has experience working in the front office, first as a special assistant to baseball operations for the Padres (2011-13) and later as a special assistant to the GM for the Angels in 2018.
“We are thrilled to welcome Brad back to the Astros organization,” Flores said. “Brad impressed us throughout the interview process, demonstrating the leadership, energy, and expertise critical to driving a winning culture both on and off the field. I am excited to work alongside Brad and happy to have him back in an Astros uniform.”
“I am very excited to be back in Houston,” Ausmus said. “The Astros and the City of Houston have been a huge part of my life, and I’m thrilled to create a new chapter as the team’s manager. I’d like to thank Randy and the entire Astros organization for this opportunity, and I can’t wait to get to work.”
Prior to joining the front office and coaching ranks, Ausmus had an 18-year Major League playing career (1993-2010), including parts of 10 seasons as an Astro (1997-98, 2001-08). A defensive-minded catcher, Ausmus was a three-time Gold Glove recipient (all with Houston) and was an American League All-Star with the Tigers in 1999. Ausmus combined to play in 1,971 career Major League games, including 1,259 as an Astro. Ausmus is widely regarded as one of the best catchers in franchise history and leads the club in games played behind the dish.
Ausmus also has extensive postseason experience as a player, coach and manager. He played in 35 career postseason games, all coming with the Astros, in their playoff runs in 1997, 1998, 2001, 2004 and 2005. Ausmus was the Astros starting catcher in their 2005 World Series run, and hit one of the most-memorable homers in Astros postseason history, a game-tying shot with two outs in the 9th inning of Game 4 of the NLDS vs. ATL, in the Astros eventual 7-6 win in 18 innings. As a manager, Ausmus led the 2014 Tigers to a 90-72 record and an appearance in the postseason. He also coached in the postseason the last three seasons with the Yankees, including an appearance in the 2024 World Series.
