KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals hired Tampa Bay Rays bench coach Matt Quatraro as manager Sunday night, turning over the young core of a rebuilding franchise to a forward-thinking manager with experience winning in a small market.
Quatraro replaces Mike Matheny, who was fired as part of a wide-spread shakeup within the Royals after a 65-97 finish for their sixth straight losing season. Quatraro was chosen by Royals general manager J.J. Picollo, who took over as head of the club's baseball operations after the firing of longtime front-office executive Dayton Moore.
“We are extremely excited to have Matt leading our club and core of talent,” Picollo said in a statement.