Robert Van Scoyoc Expected To Remain Dodgers Hitting Coach

The Los Angeles Dodgers entered the offseason expecting all of their coaching staff to return for the 2027 season, but those plans were upended on Friday when it was revealed hitting coach Aaron Bates will not be with the organization moving forward.

The Dodgers and Bates could not reach an agreement on a new contract, so the two sides decided to move on.

Despite that change to part of their hitting coach duo, the Dodgers are still expecting Robert Van Scoyoc to remain in his role as one of the hitting coaches for the 2027 season, according to Jack Harris of the California Post.

Van Scoyoc, meanwhile, is still expected to return next season, according to a source.

The Dodgers have had two hitting coaches since the 2023 season when Bates was promoted from assistant hitting coach, a role he began in 2019. It’s unclear whether the Dodgers will look to replace him with another co-hitting coach or move forward with another assistant hitting coach.

Regardless, Van Scoyoc will enter his ninth season as the Dodgers’ hitting coach. He first worked for the organization as a hitting consultant from 2016-17, but then spent a year with the Arizona Diamondbacks as a hitting strategist in 2019.

Van Scoyoc has served on the National League All-Star coaching staff in 2019, 2021, 2025 and 2026 as part of manager Dave Roberts’ staff as the defending NL Champions.

With Van Scoyoc as the hitting coach, the Dodgers have ranked in the top three in runs scored and on-base plus slugging from 2019 through 2025. In 2026, they ranked fourth in runs scored (801), but second in OPS (.762).

In 2020, the Dodgers led the Majors with 118 homers, averaging 1.97 per game, the highest mark in MLB history, breaking the previous record set by the 2019 Minnesota Twins (1.90).

After the offense struggled in the second half of the 2026 season and into October, there were public calls for Van Scoyoc to be fired, but the organization seems set on him leading the offense once again.

The Dodgers were named a finalist for the NL team Silver Slugger Award earlier this week. Shohei Ohtani and Max Muncy were also finalists at their respective positions.

Dodgers coaching staff change

Bates is the first departure from the Dodgers coaching staff since the Miami Marlins hired Clayton McCullough to become their new manager heading into the 2025 season.

At one point, it seemed the Seattle Mariners could hire special advisor Rocco Baldelli as their new manager. However, Baldelli withdrew himself from consideration, and the Mariners went on to hire former Chicago Cubs director of player development Jason Kanzler.