Dodgers Part Ways With Co-Hitting Coach Aaron Bates

The Dodgers and Bates could not reach an agreement on a new multiyear deal, ending his 12-year tenure in the organization. The departure is an unexpected change for a club that had hoped to retain its full coaching staff.

Bates, 42, began as a minor-league hitting coach before joining the major-league staff as an assistant in 2019. He became co-hitting coach with Robert Van Scoyoc before the 2023 season.

Bates was part of the staff during the Dodgers’ consecutive World Series championships in 2024 and 2025. The team now has a vacancy on its hitting staff to address over the rest of the offseason.

In October 2026, Andrew Friedman, who oversees baseball operations, said the Dodgers were still resolving issues with some staff members and anticipated that things would stay “status quo.”