BOSTON, MA – The Boston Red Sox today announced the following changes to the major league coaching staff:

• Will Venable has been hired as bench coach.
• Jason Varitek has been named game planning coordinator.
• Ramón Vázquez has been named quality control coach/interpreter.
• Kevin Walker has been named bullpen coach.
• Dave Bush (pitching coach), Tim Hyers (hitting coach), Peter Fatse (assistant hitting coach), Tom Goodwin (first base coach), and Carlos Febles (third base coach) will resume their roles on the major league coaching staff.

Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom and Manager Alex Cora made the announcement.

“Now that our coaching staff is set, we’re excited to get to work and dedicate ourselves to getting the most out of our players,” said Cora. “Will is a bright, young mind that will add a lot to what is already a strong collection of coaches. I am also pleased that both Jason and Ramón will step forward and play larger roles for us. I am thrilled to have so many great baseball minds on our staff and I look forward to their contributions as we set out to achieve our goals.”

Venable, 38, spent the last three seasons on the Chicago Cubs’ major league coaching staff, two as a first base coach (2018-19) and one as a third base coach (2020). Following a 12-year playing career (2005-16), he joined the Cubs’ front office in September 2017 as a special assistant to the President/General Manager.

Selected by San Diego in the seventh round of the 2005 June Draft, Venable batted .249 with 81 home runs and 307 RBI in 967 major league games with the Padres (2008-15), Rangers (2015), and Dodgers (2016). He stole at least 20 bases and hit at least five triples in each of his four seasons from 2010-13, earning Padres team MVP honors in 2013 after stealing 22 bases and setting career highs in batting average (.268), home runs (22), RBI (53), and runs scored (64).

Born in Greenbrae, CA, Venable graduated from San Rafael High School. While majoring in anthropology at Princeton University, he became the second student-athlete in Ivy League history to earn All-League First Team honors in both basketball and baseball, finishing his basketball career with 1,010 points over four seasons.

Venable and his wife, Kathryn, reside in Austin, TX. His father, Max, played parts of 12 major league seasons as an outfielder from 1979-91.

Varitek, 48, was named special assistant/catching coach for the Red Sox in September 2012. In that role, he assisted the baseball operations department in major league personnel decisions, evaluations, and the mentorship and instruction of players. Over the course of his 15-year major league career—which was spent entirely with Boston—Varitek appeared in 1,546 games, 10th most in club history, as he holds the franchise record for games caught (1,488). Inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame in May 2016, he earned three All-Star selections, served as the team’s captain from 2005-11, and became the first major league catcher ever to catch four no-hitters.

Vázquez, 44, spent the last three seasons (2018-20) as a major league coach with the Red Sox, serving as a liaison between the club’s advance scouting and statistical analysis efforts, for the purpose of presenting information to players and coaches. He made his major league coaching debut in 2017 with the San Diego Padres, following a three-year stint in the Houston Astros organization (2014-16). Born in Aibonito, Puerto Rico, Vázquez has also managed in the Puerto Rico Winter League, including this year for Caguas. The former infielder appeared in 696 major league games for seven teams, including for Boston in 2005.

Walker, 44, spent the 2020 season as the Red Sox’ assistant pitching coach, his first season on a major league coaching staff. He spent the previous 11 seasons (2009-19) as a pitching coach in the Red Sox organization, most recently serving in that role for Triple-A Pawtucket in 2018 and 2019. He previously worked with Double-A Portland (2015-17), High-A Salem (2011-14), Single-A Greenville (2010), and Short-A Lowell (2009). Walker began coaching after a 14-year playing career from 1995-2008.