Guardians hire Stephen Vogt as manager

The Cleveland Guardians named Stephen Vogt as the franchise's 45th manager on Monday.

The former big-league catcher replaces Terry Francona, who stepped down last month after 11 seasons.

Vogt, 39, ended his playing career after the 2022 season and was the Seattle Mariners' bullpen coach in 2023.

"We're thrilled to welcome Stephen and his family to Northeast Ohio and to name him the next manager of the Cleveland Guardians," said president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti. "Stephen earned a reputation as one of the best teammates in the game across his 16-year career as a player, and we've greatly enjoyed the opportunity to get to know him over the past several weeks.

"Stephen has thought critically about the type of leader and manager he wants to be. His deep care for others, his ability to build meaningful relationships with those around him, and his open-mindedness and curiosity make him an ideal fit to lead our club moving forward. We couldn't be more excited to partner with Stephen."

The Guardians will introduce Vogt at a press conference at Progressive Field on Friday.

A two-time All-Star with Oakland in 2015 and 2016, Vogt played for the Tampa Bay Rays (2012), Athletics (2013-17, 2022), Milwaukee Brewers (2017), San Francisco Giants (2019), Arizona Diamondbacks (2020-21) and Atlanta Braves (2021).

Vogt was a .239 hitter with 82 home runs and 313 RBIs in 794 games.