Nationals name bench coach Cairo as interim manager after firing Martinez

The Washington Nationals have identified their new skipper for the rest of 2025, appointing Miguel Cairo as their interim manager on Monday.

Cairo, the Nationals’ bench coach this season and last, did not initially travel with the team to St. Louis on Sunday night after the Nationals fired coach Dave Martinez and general manager Mike Rizzo, according to multiple reports. 

He required extra time to consider the offer. The Nationals open a three-game series against the Cardinals on Tuesday.

The Nationals did not announce any other changes to the coaching staff on Monday.

Cairo, 51, joined Washington’s coaching staff ahead of the 2024 season. Before that, he coached with the Chicago White Sox and accumulated an 18-16 record as the interim manager in 2022 when Tony La Russa stepped away due to health problems.

Cairo was also the acting manager for a pair of White Sox wins in 2021.

“Miguel is well-respected in our organization and around baseball,” interim general manager Mike DeBartolo, who took over Sunday night from Rizzo, said in a statement. “A diligent worker and student of the game, he has a proven track record of showing strong leadership in a variety of situations.”

The Venezuelan played 17 seasons in the majors, bouncing between nine different clubs as a second baseman and utility man before retiring in 2013.

Cairo served as a special assistant to the general manager with the Cincinnati Reds until 2017. He then worked as a minor league infield coordinator with the New York Yankees and New York Mets before joining the White Sox in 2021.

The future is unclear for Cairo and the rest of Washington’s coaching staff, as the Nationals started clearing house on Sunday after posting an NL East-worst 37-53 record to start the year.

Washington lost 20 of its final 27 games under Martinez.

“The on-field performance has not been where we or our fans expect it to be,” Mark Lerner, the team’s principal owner, said on Sunday night.

De Bartolo said hiring Cairo will put the team on the right track competitively.

“I believe that his voice and energy will serve as a catalyst to our team and our fan base in the second half of our season,” the interim general manager said.

After seven seasons as an assistant general manager, DeBartolo will guide the Nationals through the upcoming MLB draft and this year’s trade deadline. Washington holds the first overall pick in the draft on Sunday.

“We are confident in his ability to lead the baseball operations staff through these next important months,” Lerner said.

Hiring Cairo was the second move made by DeBartolo.

He signed former Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Luis Garcia on Sunday night, according to multiple reports.

“Nationals fans have a lot to be optimistic about, and we see these changes as a difficult, but necessary move in a positive direction,” Lerner said. “As has been the case since my late father took control of the team almost 20 years ago, our family remains committed to winning and bringing another World Series trophy to Washington, D.C.”