The New York Mets’ 2025 collapse—from NL East leaders on July 27 (62-44) to a 35-19 freefall that left them 83-79 and out of the playoffs via a Reds tiebreaker—triggered a coaching bloodbath. Seven coaches gone, including pitching coach Jeremy Hefner, hitting coaches Jeremy Barnes and Eric Chavez, bench coach John Gibbons, third-base coach Mike Sarbaugh, and retiring catching instructor Glenn Sherlock. Assistant pitching coach Desi Druschel was the presumed internal successor to Hefner.
Then the Yankees struck.
Less than a month after the Mets’ implosion, Druschel is returning to the Bronx to reclaim his old assistant pitching coach role under Aaron Boone—exactly 11 months after he left for Queens. ESPN broke the news Sunday night.
The Mets granted Druschel permission to interview elsewhere after signaling they were moving in a different direction for their vacant pitching coach gig. The 50-year-old, who joined the Yankees in 2019 as a minor-league instructor and rose to big-league assistant in 2022, now slides back into the slot he vacated last winter.
The move is the latest salvo in the Yankees’ own staff overhaul following their ALDS exit to the eventual champion Blue Jays—one year after their 2024 World Series run. Bullpen coach Mike Harkey (2016-25) is out; first-base/infield coach Travis Chapman’s contract wasn’t renewed; assistant hitting coach Pat Roessler is off the staff but may stay in the organization. Hitting coach James Rowson remains a finalist for the Twins’ managerial opening.
Preston Claiborne, who replaced Druschel last season, will return in 2026 but could shift to bullpen coach. Minor-league hitting coordinator Jake Hirst has been promoted to fill Roessler’s assistant hitting coach role.
Aaron Boone’s 2026 Staff (as of now)
- Bench coach: Brad Ausmus
- Pitching coach: Matt Blake
- Assistant pitching coach: Desi Druschel
- Hitting coach: James Rowson
- Assistant hitting coaches: Casey Dykes, Jake Hirst
- Third base/outfield coach: Luis Rojas
- Bullpen coach: Peter Serruto (returning)
- Field coordinator/director of catching: Tanner Swanson
For the Mets, the Druschel defection caps a brutal October. Carlos Mendoza’s rebuilt staff will feature at least seven new faces after the franchise’s epic late-season flameout. The Yankees, meanwhile, just poached the one coach who survived their own “fire everybody” winter—and turned him into the centerpiece of their counter-punch.