Carlos Beltran has reportedly found his bench coach.
According to MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, the New York Mets are bringing on Hensley Meulens to be the first-year manager’s right-hand man in the clubhouse at Citi Field moving forward.
Meulens, 52, has spent the past 10 seasons with the San Francisco Giants — eight as a hitting coach and past two as Bruce Bochy’s bench coach.
The position came with plenty of success as Meulens was a part of three World Series-winning teams in San Francisco. He also worked with Beltran for a part of the 2011 season when the veteran outfielder was dealt from the Mets to the Giants.
Meulens also interviewed for the Yankees’ managerial job which Beltran was also in the running for but lost out to Aaron Boone.
As a player, he appeared in portions of seven MLB seasons between 1989-1998 while also spending time in Japan before making the transition to coaching.
He slashed .220/.288/.353 with 15 home runs and 53 RBI in 182 career MLB games with the Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Montreal Expos.
On the international stage, Meuelens was an assistant for the Netherlands national baseball team for the 2004 Olympics and 2009 World Baseball Classic before managing the club in the 2013 WBC.
He also spent seven seasons coaching in the minors before joining the Giants in 2010.
The Mets were also reportedly interested in the likes of Fredi Gonzalez and Jerry Naron for the position.
When Beltran was initially hired by the Mets earlier this month, former manager Terry Collins was believed to be a prime candidate after the two formed a solid relationship during the four months they worked together in 2011.
Meulens adds another offensive mind to the Mets’ ranks to work alongside Beltran and hitting coach Chili Davis as New York’s core of young bats is expected to contend in 2020.
