Mets hire Rachel Folden as Double-A hitting coach

NEW YORK -- Rachel Folden, the first female coach in Cubs history, is joining the Mets as hitting coach at Double-A Binghamton.

Folden replaces Nate Irving, who had been Binghamton’s hitting coach in 2025. In the Mets’ organization, Folden follows in the footsteps of female coaches Gretchen Aucoin and Bree Nasti, who were in uniform in the Minor Leagues in recent years.

Initially hired as the Cubs’ lead hitting lab tech and Rookie-level hitting coach, Folden subsequently became a hitting coach in the Arizona Complex League (2021-22), then worked as a Minor League hitting coordinator (’23) before becoming the hitting coach at Double-A Tennessee (’24) and at Triple-A Iowa this season.

Asked earlier this year if she hopes one day to become a big league coach, Folden said: “I’m where my feet are. I know the possibility’s out there, but I’m not in a hurry. I really enjoy player development. If the opportunity comes, it comes.”

Alyssa Nakken, who served as a Major League coach with the Giants from 2020-24, remains the only female on-field coach in Major League history.