Sources – White Sox name Will Venable as their next manager

The Chicago White Sox are hiring Texas Rangers coach Will Venable as their next coach, sources familiar with the situation confirmed to ESPN on Tuesday night.

Venable, 42, played nine years in the major leagues before joining the Chicago Cubs as a special assistant in 2017 and then as their base coach from 2018 to 2020. He was Boston's backup coach in 2021 before being hired by Texas, where he served as an associate manager alongside Bruce Bochy the past two seasons.

Venable spent most of his playing career in San Diego before being traded to the Rangers in 2015. He played for the Dodgers in 2016 before retiring.

Venable hit .249 with 81 home runs in 967 games, playing exclusively in the outfield.

Venable replaces interim manager Grady Sizemore, who was also a candidate for the permanent position. The White Sox fired former manager Pedro Grifol in August as the team broke a modern record with 121 losses that season.

The White Sox have been on a steady decline since winning the division in 2021. A 101-loss season in 2022 cost former general manager Rick Hahn and team president Kenny Williams their jobs, as longtime owner Jerry Reinsdorf hired former White Sox player Chris Getz to head the team's baseball operations.

Last year, Getz handed over the front office and has now hired its first manager, a respected longtime player and coach.

Venable becomes the 42nd manager in franchise history. He was selected from a long list of candidates that included Guardians bench coach Craig Albernaz, Padres special assistant AJ Ellis, Dodgers first base coach Clayton McCollough and Sizemore, who was popular with players during his brief interim stay was.

MLB.com first reported Venable's expected hiring. An announcement was expected before the GM meetings, which begin next Tuesday.