Tony

La Russa

Nothing official from the White Sox yet. Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports that Grifol and Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza are among finalists still under consideration to replace Tony La Russa in Chicago. Grifol has spent nearly a decade on Kansas City’s coaching staff and appears to be the front-runner at the moment. It’ll be the first managerial opportunity for the 53-year-old, who has been a candidate in several managerial searches over the last few years.

The White Sox managerial search remains a virtual unknown, which is a bit surprising as both the Marlins and Royals recently filled their open managerial positions with Skip Schumaker and Matt Quatraro, respectively. Heyman adds that Astros bench coach Joe Espada, Braves third base coach Ron Washington and former Chicago manager Ozzie Guillén have been mentioned as possibilities for the job, but none of that trio are seen as likely candidates now. We’ll see.

Espada, Royals bench coach Pedro Grifol and White Sox former manager Ozzie Guillén are known to have already interviewed for the position -- and interim manager Miguel Cairo was expected to get an interview as well. It’s unclear if Espada being ruled out as a candidate means that the White Sox have settled on a particular candidate or not, as general manager Rick Hahn won’t comment on the search publicly until he names a replacement for Tony La Russa.

For those unfamiliar -- and you may not be since it’s been a while -- Guillén previously managed the White Sox from 2004-2011 and led the team to a World Series title in 2005. He’s one of several managers with previous experience who the White Sox are considering, including Braves third base coach Ron Washington. Chicago also is strongly considering Astros bench Joe Espada, but Guillén will at least get a shot to state his case for managing the club in 2023.

Astros bench coach Joe Espada is being interviewed for the gig on Wednesday, and the White Sox are also expected to talk to Royals bench coach Pedro Grifol. Washington, 70, served as the manager of the Rangers from 2007-2014. He went up against the now-retired Tony La Russa, then with the Cardinals, in the 2011 World Series.

La Russa wrote that while his long-term prognosis is “good,” health issues would make it “impossible” for him to come back in 2023. The statement doesn’t say anything about (a second) retirement, but this is surely it for the Hall of Fame skipper. La Russa -- who turns 78 on Tuesday -- has the second-most wins all-time as a manager with 2,899 victories.

The 77-year-old Hall of Fame manager is officially calling it a career on Monday. La Russa had intended to finish out his contract with the White Sox through the 2023 season, but at the advice of medical professionals, he’ll step away from the game. La Russa -- 78 on Tuesday -- won 2899 career games (.536), three World Series titles, and four Manager of the Year awards.

The official announcement comes directly from the White Sox and specifies that La Russa has been directed by his doctors not to return this season after undergoing additional testing and medical procedures over the last week. It’ll be bench coach Miguel Cairo continuing to serve as Chicago’s acting manager for the remainder of the 2022 campaign.

La Russa will not be with the team for their three-game series against the Tigers in Detroit. The manager has been on a leave of absence because of his medial issue, and hasn’t been cleared to rejoin the team. Miguel Cairo will remain the skipper as Chicago tries to win the division.

La Russa will be in attendance for a pre-game ceremony on Sunday where the Athletics will retire Dave Stewart’s number before traveling with the team back to Chicago. The veteran manager is hoping to return to the dugout sometime next week, but hasn’t been medically cleared to do so at this point. Meanwhile, the White Sox have won eight of their last 10 games under acting manager Miguel Cairo.