ORLANDO, Fla. -- Expect Don Mattingly to be the Phillies’ bench coach in 2026.
The Phillies and Mattingly have not signed a contract, but Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said Monday afternoon at the Winter Meetings that talks are progressing.
“We still have some final details we’re working through, so it’s not official,” Dombrowski said. “But we are really focused on speaking with Don and trying to make that happen, and we’re hopeful that it will.”
Mattingly, 64, would replace Mike Calitri, who moved into a new role as Major League field coordinator. Mattingly not only will bring a Hall of Fame-quality playing career with the Yankees, but he has extensive managerial and coaching experience. He managed the Dodgers from 2011-15 and the Marlins from '16-22. He served as the Blue Jays’ bench coach the past three seasons. He was a coach under former Yankees and Dodgers manager Joe Torre from 2004-10.
Mattingly and Phillies manager Rob Thomson know each other from their time together in the Yankees organization.
“I think it’d be awesome,” Thomson said. “I think it’s a perfect fit for a ball club. Just his intelligence and presence and experience. It would be a really good fit.”
Thomson is entering the final year of his contract, but Dombrowski said he expects to sign him to a contract extension before Spring Training.
Dombrowski said he had extensive conversations with Thomson, Don Mattingly and Phillies general manager Preston Mattingly, who is Don’s son, about their comfort levels with the situation.
Nobody expressed any reservations.
Dombrowski addressed the fact that the father-son combo could be a potential issue in the clubhouse, if players felt there was a direct line of communication from the clubhouse to the front office.
“I'm not worried about anything coming from the clubhouse up to us that shouldn't,” Dombrowski said. “That is not a concern. I think you also have to be cognizant of the people that you're talking about and the credibility that they have. When you start talking about Don and Preston, you’re talking about two people that have immense credibility, and so there's nothing that's going to come down there. Confidentiality is still confidentiality.”
“We share a common goal with everybody in the organization,” Preston Mattingly said. “We want to win a world championship. I think he fits our roster really well and our staff. I’m excited.”
Wheeler update
Phillies ace Zack Wheeler began to play catch last week. Wheeler underwent thoracic outlet decompression surgery in September. Recovery is 6-8 months, although the Phillies think it could be closer to the six-month mark.
“Encouraging,” Dombrowski said. “Everything’s a positive in that regard."