Twins hire Edgar Varela as hitting coach

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins have hired Edgar Varela as their hitting coach, replacing the departed James Rowson.

After the Twins set a season record with 307 home runs and ranked second in the major leagues in runs and batting average, Rowson was hired by the Miami Marlins as bench coach under manager Don Mattingly.

The Twins announced Monday the addition of the 39-year-old Varela and head athletic trainer Michael Salazar to their major league field staff. Varela was the club’s minor league field coordinator for the past two seasons, after 10 years in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. Salazar replaces Tony Leo. He was the assistant athletic trainer for the San Diego Padres in 2019 after 19 seasons in the Cleveland Indians organization.