Ahead of the 2020 baseball season, the New York Yankees hired Rachel Balkovec as one of the first full-time hitting coaches in any major league organization.
This season, Balkovec will manage a Class A minor league affiliate.
Balkovec, 34, is set to become manager of the Yankees Low-A Tampa Tarpons, according to a report from The Athletics' Lindsay Adler.
Balkovec joined the Yankees in November 2020, having been hired by Dylan Lawson, who was the organization's hitting coordinator at the time. Lawson was promoted to batting coach of the Yankees last month.
A college softball player at both Creighton University and New Mexico, Balkovec served as a strength and conditioning coach at the St. Louis Cardinals and Houston Astros organizations.
Balkovec's advanced training and research for a hitting coach position was conducted at Driveline Baseball in Washington State, a performance training center with an emphasis on analytics.
"I want to be a general manager," Balkovec told FoxSports.com in March. "So, I think in any kind of administrative or executive position it's important that you understand the game from the inside out."
Balkovec has spent a decade in organized baseball, and is believed to be the first female manager in affiliated baseball.
In 2020, Kim Ng, who previously worked in the front office of the Yankees, became the first general manager of MLB to be hired by Miami Marlins COO Derek Jeter.
During the 2021 season, Balkovec was based in Tampa, Fla., as a Yankees minor league hitting instructor.
Pete Caldera is a Yankees beat writer for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to all Yankees analysis, news, trades and more, please subscribe and download our app today.