Phillies Hire Peter Fatse as New Hitting Coach

The Philadelphia Phillies have appointed Peter Fatse as their new hitting coach, succeeding Kevin Long, according to a report from Monday.

Fatse previously served as the hitting coach for the Boston Red Sox for parts of five seasons and was an assistant hitting coach for two years before that. He was part of the coaching staff that was let go in April after the Red Sox started the season with a 10-17 record. The Phillies, facing their own struggles, had recently fired manager Rob Thomson after a 9-19 start.

Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski initially reached out to Red Sox manager Alex Cora regarding the coaching changes. After Cora declined to take on another managerial role, Dombrowski appointed Don Mattingly as interim manager, later signing him to a two-year contract. The Phillies also made additional coaching staff changes, including the dismissal of infield coach Bobby Dickerson. Fatse will now join Mattingly's staff as they look to improve in the upcoming season.