Dave Dombrowski: ‘Better to wait until our season is complete’ before deciding on Don Mattingly’s future

And then there was one.

Don Mattingly stands alone among baseball’s interim managers after the Mets and Red Sox announced Tuesday that they will retain Andy Green and Chad Tracy, respectively, with each receiving a three-year contract to stay at the wheel of those clubs.

The Phillies aren’t ready to make a similar commitment to Mattingly.

Asked if there has been more thought to Mattingly’s future in the dugout beyond this season, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski replied in a text message, “No, there has not been.”

» READ MORE: Dave Dombrowski talked with Alex Cora about replacing Rob Thomson: ‘I thought that he might take it’

“[We] have felt it is better to wait,” Dombrowski added, “until our season is complete.”

Mattingly, whose son Preston works under Dombrowski as general manager, agreed to a two-year contract in January to be the Phillies’ bench coach. He took over for deposed manager Rob Thomson on April 28 — but only after Dombrowski offered the job to Alex Cora, who had been fired a few days earlier by the Red Sox.

Under Mattingly, the Phillies were 77-51 entering play Tuesday night and closing in on a National League wild card, with a four-game lead over the Diamondbacks with six games remaining. It was the third-best record in baseball in that span behind the Brewers (84-45) and Rays (78-49).

Mattingly, 65, said in July that he would be interested in staying on as manager, even though he previously believed his days of leading a team were over.

“I like doing it,” he said during a series in Cincinnati before the All-Star break. “I didn’t come here to do it, but I actually like doing it. And I’d committed two years [as bench coach]. In my mind, I told Dave two years, right? So, at that point you make a commitment with your family and what’s going on with everything, that you’re going to do this for two years.

“So, if that’s something that Dave wanted me to do, I would be fine with it.”

But Dombrowski’s relationship with Cora has prompted speculation throughout the sport that they may be poised for a reunion with the Phillies. They won a World Series together in 2018 with the Red Sox as manager and president of baseball operations.

Cora got fired by the Red Sox on April 25. Dombrowski spoke with him that day and offered him the Phillies’ job the day after, even though Thomson hadn’t been let go yet. But Cora, who was owed $13 million by the Red Sox through the end of the 2027 season, opted to take time with his family in Puerto Rico.

“I’d really come to the conclusion that, if [Cora] took it, I was going to make a change,” Dombrowski said after firing Thomson with the Phillies off to a 9-19 start. “And I thought that he might take it.”

If Cora wants to return to managing next season, maybe Dombrowski is keeping the Phillies’ seat warm. In April, he referred to Cora as “one of the finest managers in the game of baseball” and compared him favorably to Hall of Fame managers Jim Leyland and Tony La Russa.

It’s possible, then, that Mattingly may need to lead the Phillies on a long playoff run to have the interim tag removed. Then again, he does have one year left on his initial contract and his son in the front office.

In any case, it all figures to play out over the next few weeks.

One week after being placed on the 15-day injured list with a strained shoulder, ace lefty Jesús Luzardo is “still trending in the right direction,” according to Mattingly.

“He just continues to throw and continues to feel good,” Mattingly said after Luzardo played catch for a third day in a row from as far as 120 feet. “Keep moving.”

If the Phillies have a target date for when Luzardo may progress to a mound, Mattingly wasn’t saying.

» READ MORE: Jesús Luzardo ‘definitely concerned’ as inflamed left shoulder lands him on the injured list

“Every day is kind of like, how he comes back tomorrow,” Mattingly said. “We’re moving in the right direction. He feels good every day. He hasn’t come back with any kind of inflammation or lack of range [of motion] or anything like that, so it’s been good.”

Luzardo, who hasn’t pitched since Sept. 7, is eligible to return from the injured list Sunday, though it’s doubtful he will pitch in the regular-season finale. The Phillies remain hopeful Luzardo will be ready for the wild-card miniseries, likely in a relief role.

Setup reliever Jonathan Bowlan also continued to throw with more intensity after straining his right groin last Thursday night. “I don’t know about [getting] in a game yet,” Mattingly said. “But he’s been throwing and doing better every day.” ... The Phillies named righty reliever Alex McFarlane and infielder Bryan Rincon as recipients of the Paul Owens Award, presented annually to the organization’s top minor league pitcher and player. ... Nola (7-10, 4.49 ERA) will be opposed at 6:40 p.m. Wednesday by Brewers righty Logan Henderson (10-3, 2.51).

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Matt Klentak's fingerprints are still on the Phillies' roster six years after he was the team's general manager. These days, Klentak is part of the front office for the Brewers, who recently clinched their fourth consecutive NL Central title. With the Brewers coming to town Tuesday, Klentak joined Phillies Extra to discuss his current and former teams. Watch here. 

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