Following his team’s 15-5 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday, Miami Marlins manager Skip Schumaker informed players that he will miss the final two games of the MLB regular season and will not return until 2025 to manage the club. to multiple reports. ESPN’s Jeff Passan was the first to report the news.

Schumaker is reportedly leaving the club immediately due to a death in the family. Schumaker, a former player who spent 11 seasons in the MLB, captained the Marlins for two seasons and compiled a 144-178 record. He led the club to just its fourth postseason berth – and second since 2003 – in 2023, where the club was defeated by the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL Wild Card Series. Schumaker was named NL Manager of the Year.

The Marlins front office underwent significant change in October 2023. When general manager Kim Ng was told of the club’s plans to hire a president of baseball operations who would have seniority above her in the department, he resigned and new president of baseball operations Peter Bendix resigned. in.

A change in strategy seemed to accompany the change in leadership, as the club dealt several keystone players, such as two-time batting champion Luis Arráez and electrifying infielder/outfielder Jazz Chisholm Jr., in an apparent attempt to rebuild during the period of 2024. season.

Schumaker, unhappy with Ng’s departure, reportedly attempted to restructure his contract to remove a team option for the 2025 season. The Miami Herald. The club made the move last winter, effectively giving Schumaker the freedom to explore other options in 2025.

And such opportunities are already starting to present themselves, as the Cincinnati Reds fired manager David Bell on September 22. The Chicago White Sox, a club that set the record for most losses in a season in the modern era in ’24, also have a manager vacancy.

Asked about his next steps after Friday’s game, an emotional Schumaker was unsure.

“Yeah, I’m not really sure,” Schumaker said. “That (the win) was definitely for my grandmother. But I don’t know exactly what the next few days will be. I will watch the match with my family. But I think it will be difficult to watch from home.”

“I’m just grateful for the staff and the players who give me everything every day.”