Phillies add former Mets manager Carlos Mendoza to their coaching staff
Mendoza will serve as infield coach, filling the role vacated by Bobby Dickerson, and will be the third base coach.
The Phillies have hired former Mets manager Carlos Mendoza to serve as their infield coach and third base coach in 2027, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski announced Thursday.
Mendoza fills the role vacated by Bobby Dickerson, who was fired this week along with hitting coach Kevin Long, and will serve on manager Don Mattingly’s staff. The Phillies signed Mattingly to a two-year extension on Wednesday.
The Phillies have not yet hired a hitting coach.
“They have to be knowledgeable. They have to be able to communicate with our players. They have to be able to communicate with veteran players, but also the young players,” Dombrowski said of the ideal candidate for hitting coach. “We like them to use a lot of contemporary analytical information that we have and provide to them, use the tools that we have available to them.”
» READ MORE: Dave Dombrowski didn’t have an ‘elite’ season. And turning it around in 2027 won’t be easy.
In a news conference on Thursday, Mattingly said the decision to hire Mendoza was largely driven by the Phillies front office.
“I knew Carlos just a little bit from him managing the Mets. Always had big respect and heard a lot of good things. You never hear really a bad word about Carlos,” Mattingly said. “Talking to him, his excitement about the infield and defense was what kind of made me feel good about that side of it, and his experience. He’s been in this division that we’re in. He knows it well.”
Mendoza was fired by the Mets in June after a 34—47 start to the season and was replaced as manager by Andy Green. Prior to that role, he had served as infield coach and later bench coach for the Yankees.
He will be responsible for working with Trea Turner, who Dombrowski said will enter 2027 as the Phillies’ shortstop. After a significant regression defensively this season, there was speculation that the Phillies might try to convert Turner to an outfielder, but Dombrowski said he expects him to remain in the infield to start next season, provided his defense improves.
“He’s dealt with the big-time player,” Mattingly said of Mendoza. “He’s dealt with the superstars and guys that are at the top of the league and the top of the game. So he knows how to communicate with those guys.”
Turner posted a minus-17 fielding run value and a minus-10 outs above average in 2026, the latter of which was in the bottom third percentile of baseball.
» READ MORE: Hayes: Don Mattingly ‘carried the stick.’ That helped make him the best choice as Phillies manager.
“If he plays shortstop like he did in ’25, he can play shortstop. But if he plays it like he did in ’26, he can’t, and he totally understands that,” Dombrowski said. “We’ve already given him some information ourselves that we think can be helpful.”
He added the team will have “fallback” options in place, in the event Turner continues to struggle.
Extra bases
Dombrowski also announced that the Phillies have agreed to terms with left-handed reliever Tim Mayza on a major league contract for 2027.
The Phillies haven't won a playoff series since 2023, and their postseasons keep getting shorter and shorter. How can they fix it? Radio play-by-play announcer Scott Franzke joins Phillies Extra, The Inquirer's baseball podcast, to discuss Trea Turner's future, the managerial uncertainty, whether the Phillies can get "creative" to change the mix of the roster, and more. Watch here.
You can also subscribe to the podcast version of Phillies Extra on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
Previous episodes: Larry Andersen | Matt Klentak | Jeff Francoeur | Luke Murton | Mike Hazen | Tony Gwynn Jr. | Kevin Stocker | Bobby Dickerson | Jim Bowden | John Middleton
