Rangers hire HoJo to manage Class A ball

The Rangers have hired former two-time All-Star Howard Johnson to manage at Class A Advanced High Desert, the club announced Thursday.

Johnson was the Mariners' hitting coach from just after the 2013 season until June 20, 2015, and he finished the 2015 season as a Mariners Minor League hitting instructor. Johnson returns to a managerial role for the first time since leading the Mets' Short-Season Class A Brooklyn club in 2002.

Before joining the Mariners, Johnson spent 11 seasons in the Mets' organization as Major League hitting coach, Minor League instructor, professional scout and manager. Johnson played 14 seasons in the Majors with the Tigers, Mets, Rockies and Cubs, was part of World Series-winning teams with the Tigers (1984) and Mets (1986), and in 1991 with the Mets, he became the first switch-hitter to lead the National League in home runs (38).