MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins reassigned hitting coach Edgar Varela to a minor league role Wednesday and now have three openings to fill on manager Rocco Baldelli’s staff.

Varela held the position for two seasons. He was the club’s minor league field coordinator for two years prior to that. The Twins ranked 14th in baseball in runs in 2021 and 18th in 2020, after scoring the second most in 2019. Rudy Hernandez, who also has the title of hitting coach, remains in his role.

Kevin Morgan, who was added as a major league field coordinator just before the season following the death of bench coach Mike Bell, was also reassigned to a minor league role. Bill Evers, who held the title of major league coach, has retired.

Only four of the eight uniformed assistants returning for 2022 have been with Baldelli since he was hired for the 2019 season.

“We do want continuity in the way that we operate on a daily basis in our clubhouse with our players. Consistency is a helpful thing,” Baldelli said.

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