Ozzie Guillen will be making his return to the dugout later this summer.
The former White Sox manager has been named the bench coach for Team France in this year’s World Baseball Classic, joining the staff of soon-to-be Hall of Famer Bruce Bochy. The news was confirmed by USA Today’s Bob Nightengale in his Sunday Notebook following an earlier report from ESPN’s Ernesto Jerez.
Guillen, 58, became the first Latino manager to win a World Series after the White Sox’ dominant postseason run in 2005. Following eight years at the helm, the Venezuelan native was traded to Miami in September 2011, where his stint came to an end prematurely in October 2012 after controversial comments related to Fidel Castro.
Since then, Guillen was hired to manage the Tiburones de La Guaira of the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League for the 2016–17 season, but has not found his way back to a major league dugout.
The fan favorite has recently served in an on-air role for ESPN Deportes before joining NBC Sports Chicago, where Guillen currently serves as an analyst on White Sox Pregame and Postgame Live.
Bochy, 67, was born in France and had plans to manage the team in 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the WBC qualifier. The three-time World Series champion manager has not commented publicly on the hire of Guillen or any other coaching staff additions.
The French team will compete in a qualifier in Regensburg, Germany in September. The qualifier will include Germany, Spain, the Czech Republic, Great Britain, and South Africa, with the top two teams advancing to the WBC.
For more updates, be sure to follow us on social media @SoxOn35th!
Featured Photo: © David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
