
Another member of the Indians coaching staff has decided to opt out of the 2020 season.
Hitting coach Ty Van Burkleo will opt out according to the Athletic’s Zack Meisel due to the coronavirus pandemic. He joins bench coach Brad Mills who opted out due to a family tragedy.
Indians President Chris Antonetti told reporters that Van Burkleo will still work with the team from home but for the in-person direction, assistant hitting coach Victor Rodriguez and hitting analytics instructor Justin Toole will take over with Alex Eckelman, who is an assistant director of player development joining the staff.
Van Burkleo has been with the Indians since 2013 as the hitting coach. Despite the offensive explosion in the team’s 13-0 win over Cincinnati on Friday, the Indians rank dead last in the American League with a .192 batting average, a .287 slugging percentage and a .586 OPS.