News Article
The Dodgers' bench coach went to high school and college in Houston, and was named in multiple reports as a top candidate to manage the Astros
Published
Oct 15, 2026 at 02:47 PM EDT
The Los Angeles Dodgers awoke Thursday, Oct. 15 with a big problem on their hands.
The Milwaukee Brewers are leading the best-of-seven National League Championship Series 3-0. One more win, and they will eliminate the two-time defending World Series champions.
Another loss could be looming on the horizon for the Dodgers.
Bench coach Danny Lehmann was a candidate to succeed Brian Snitker as the Atlanta Braves' manager a year ago, before the job was given to Walt Weiss. After the Astros let go of manager Joe Espada on Wednesday, Lehmann was immediately named a top candidate to get the job in multiple reports out of Houston.
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Lehmann has little managerial experience. He transitioned out of his minor league playing career directly to the Dodgers' video scouting staff in 2015. He climbed the ranks to become a trusted member of Dave Roberts' dugout staff as Los Angeles won three World Series titles from 2020-25. He was named bench coach prior to the 2023 season.
Lehmann went to high school in the Houston area and played collegiately at Rice University, giving him local ties that might be more helpful to his job fortunes in Houston than Atlanta.
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In 2023, Lehmann managed a game in San Diego when Roberts left the team for a day to attend his son's college graduation. It was his first time managing at any level of professional baseball.
“How managers are picked today is very different than 10, 15, 20 years ago,” he said at the time. “There was a progression in the past, where it was kind of like you managed whatever league in the minors, and you progress, or became a base coach. It’s just very different. I think now it’s a little bit more specific in how you want to run your team, and I think that makes a lot of sense."
Along with Lehmann, Yankees coach Brad Ausmus, former Cubs manager David Ross, and former Astros infielder Morgan Ensberg were mentioned by both MLB.com and the Houston Chronicle as possible candidates to manage in Houston.
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