CINCINNATI — New Reds manager Terry Francona has hired hitting coach Chris Valaika away from the Cleveland Guardians, Cincinnati announced Friday.
The 39-year-old Valaika has been Cleveland's hitting coach for three years, dating back to Francona's time running the team.
The former infielder played in the majors with Cincinnati (2010-11), Miami (2013) and the Chicago Cubs (2014), appearing in 99 games across four seasons.
The native of Santa Clarita, California, joined the coaching ranks in 2017. Valaika spent five seasons coaching in the Cubs organization before moving to Cleveland under Francona.
During Valaika's time with the club, the Guards made the playoffs twice, and players like Steven Kwan and Josh Naylor developed into All-Stars. However, during the period from 2022-24, Cleveland also finished in the bottom 10 in all of baseball in home runs, runs scored, RBIs, slugging percentage, OPS, and total bases.
The 65-year-old Francona was hired as the Reds manager earlier this month after David Bell was fired with five games left in his sixth season.