Astros Lose Another Coach as Jason Bell, One of the Four Slated to Stay, Leaves for the Red Sox

The Red Sox are hiring Astros major league field coordinator and outfield coach Jason Bell and adding him to their major league coaching staff, MLB Trade Rumors reported Wednesday, citing Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. Bell will serve as the outfield instructor, per Tim Healey of the Boston Globe, and the two parties are still sorting out the potential for additional responsibilities.

It is the latest shuffling involving what should be a revamped Astros staff in 2027. Owner Jim Crane opted not to retain manager Joe Espada earlier this month and also dismissed five coaches while reassigning bench coach Omar Lopez to a new role within the organization. At the time, the Astros indicated that Bell was one of four coaches who would be retained, joining pitching coach Josh Miller, hitting coach Victor Rodriguez and first base coach Dave Clark. Instead, it seems Bell was granted permission to interview for an opportunity in Boston and will now pack his bags for Fenway Park.

Bell, 36, joined the Astros organization as a development coach in 2017 - his first stop in pro ball, after serving as director of baseball operations at Ohio University and pitching coach at the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore. He has since managed in their minor league system, spent a half decade as the minor league field coordinator, and has now spent the past three seasons as a uniformed coach on the big league staff.

Boston's own staff is in flux as well: the Red Sox fired manager Alex Cora and five coaches in April, and interim manager Chad Tracy has now shed the interim label with a three-year deal as the permanent skipper. Several other members of Boston's 2026 staff still carry interim labels, and it is possible Bell will slide into one of those roles in addition to his work with the outfielders. For Houston, the count of departures from the 2026 staff keeps growing before a single 2027 hire has been announced.