The Kansas City Royals have hired Matt Quatraro to be their next manager, the team announced Sunday night.

Quatraro most recently served as the Tampa Bay Rays’ bench coach and will take over for Mike Matheny, who was fired in early October after the Royals went 65-97 this past season.

“I already knew the talent on the roster and how great the fans in Kansas City are, and the interview process convinced me that the terrific things I’d heard about the organization’s culture are true,” Quatraro said in a statement. “I can’t wait to get started.”

Quatraro, 48, was a minor league coordinator with the Rays before breaking into the major leagues. He served as an assistant hitting coach for the Cleveland Guardians before returning back to the Tampa Bay organization as the Rays’ third base coach.

Following the 2021 season, he had interviews with the Oakland Athletics and New York Mets to potentially become the teams’ next manager.

Prior to his coaching career, Quatraro played in the minor leagues, reaching Triple-A after Tampa Bay drafted him in the eighth round of the 1996 draft.

Royals general manager J.J. Picollo made the decision to hire Quatraro. Picollo is also new to the organization, taking over as head of baseball operations after Dayton Moore was fired in late September.

“We are extremely excited to have Matt leading our club and core of talent,” Picollo said. “Matt has great experiences throughout his career that have prepared him for this. He thoroughly impressed us all during our interview process and is clearly respected across the industry.”

–Field Level Media