The Rockies announced that hitting coach Hensley Meulens has been relieved of his duties. Special assistant to the general manager Clint Hurdle has been named hitting coach for the remainder of the season.

It’s an unusual move, as coaching changes don’t usually happen so early in a season. There’s no denying that the results haven’t been pretty for the club in the early going. They are currently 3-15, the worst record in the majors. Their team-wide batting line of .220/.285/.344 translates to a 65 wRC+, also worst in the majors.

But that’s not exactly a surprising development. The club finished the past two seasons with more than 100 losses and did very little to improve the team in the winter. They are one of the few clubs that came into the 2025 season with no real hopes of contending. It would be hard to lay all of the blame on the hitting coach when the roster mostly features unestablished young players and veteran journeymen.

Presumably, the Rockies once felt that Meulens was the right guy to help their young hitters develop. If not, then they probably should have made this move in the winter as opposed to 18 games into the campaign. Perhaps more information will come to light and help put this into context, but for now, it’s a bit of a head-scratcher.

Meulens, 57, played in the majors from 1989 to 1998. After his playing days ended, he pivoted to a coaching career, starting in the minor leagues. He got his first major league coaching gig in 2010 when he became the hitting coach of the Giants. That club won the World Series three times while he was in the dugout. He then had stints as the bench coach for the Mets and assistant hitting coach for the Yankees before joining the Rockies as hitting coach ahead of the 2023 season.

More to come.