While Luis Rojas survived the Mets’ ownership change, his top lieutenant will not be as fortunate.
An industry source confirmed that Hensley Meulens, the Mets’ bench coach in 2020, will not return to the team next season, as first reported by USA Today.
The decision doesn’t come as a huge surprise, as the 53-year-old Meulens originally joined the Mets as Carlos Beltran’s bench coach last offseason, only to see Beltran lose his job (for his involvement in the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal) before even making it to spring training. Rojas, who had been set to serve as the Mets’ quality-control coach under Beltran, became the manager in January as the club decided to keep the rest of the coaching staff intact.
Now, with a full offseason to prepare, the Mets can pick someone who fits best with Rojas after a shaky rookie campaign (26-34). New president Sandy Alderson announced last week that Rojas, whom Alderson knew from his previous time with the Mets, will definitely manage the team in 2021 despite the fact that Alderson and his boss Steve Cohen have yet to choose a person to head the organization’s baseball operations.