Yankees name Hideki Matsui Special Advisor to the General Manager; press conference scheduled for Wednesday at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa

The New York Yankees today announced that Hideki Matsui has been named Special Advisor to the General Manager.

In his first full-time role in the New York Yankees front office, Matsui will work closely with General Manager Brian Cashman and Player Development Vice President Gary Denbo. Matsui will spend the majority of the 2015 season traveling throughout the Yankees' minor league system and focusing on aspects of hitting with managers, batting coaches and players.

Matsui, 40, played seven seasons with the Yankees (2003-2009), posting a .292 (977-for-3,348) batting average with 140HR, 597RBI and a .370 on-base percentage in 916 games. He played in two World Series (2003 and '09) with the club, winning a championship in 2009 as he was named World Series MVP, batting .615 (8-for-13) with 1 double, 3HR and 8RBI. He also played three additional Major League seasons with Los Angeles-AL (2010), Oakland (2011) and Tampa Bay (2012).