Lehmann, Linares, Ecker and Hyde: Who Are the Astros Manager Names Floated by Michael Schwab?

The Astros still don't have a general manager, so they're a long way from naming a manager. That hasn't kept names from surfacing.

On Thursday, Oct. 22, Michael Schwab of Ice Box Insiders posted on X at 10:38 a.m. CT that several names were "being floated" for the Astros' manager job, based on his conversations with sources. He told readers to watch Dodgers bench coach Danny Lehmann, Rays coach Rodney Linares and Orioles bench coach Donnie Ecker. About an hour later, at 11:41 a.m., he added a fourth name: Brandon Hyde, Joe Espada's brother-in-law.

To be clear about what this is: one reporter's read of names in circulation. It isn't a report of interviews, and it isn't a finalist list. Houston hasn't commented, and as of Sunday we haven't found any other outlet reporting Ecker in connection with the job. Lehmann, Linares and Hyde did appear on MLB.com's Brian McTaggart's list of potential candidates, a rundown of possible fits, not a report of interviews.

Here's who each man is.

Danny Lehmann, Dodgers bench coach

Lehmann has spent four seasons as Dave Roberts' bench coach in Los Angeles, and he has local roots: he played high school ball in the Houston area and played at Rice, per McTaggart. He was also in the running for the Braves' manager job last offseason.

The complication is his current boss. At his end-of-season press conference on Oct. 21, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said he expects "status quo" on the coaching staff, per Dodger Blue and MLB Trade Rumors. That's a statement of intent, not a contract. Bench coaches leave for manager jobs all the time, but Los Angeles isn't planning on losing him.

Rodney Linares, Rays bench coach

Linares may be the most familiar name to Astros fans. McTaggart notes he spent 21 seasons in the Houston organization, 12 of them managing in the farm system. His stops included Double-A Corpus Christi from 2015 to 2017 and Triple-A Fresno in 2018, and along the way he managed Carlos Correa and Jose Altuve. His father, Julio Linares, also spent decades with the Astros.

Linares has been with Tampa Bay for eight seasons, four as third-base coach and the last four as bench coach. Those Rays are busy right now: they trail the Brewers 2-0 in the World Series, so any conversation about his future has to wait until the Series ends.

Donnie Ecker, Orioles bench coach

Ecker is the new name here. Baltimore hired him in November 2025 as bench coach for first-year manager Craig Albernaz, per BaltimoreBaseball.com's Rich Dubroff and the Orioles' 2026 staff announcement. Ecker turned 40 this year, and he's known mostly as a hitting coach. He was the Giants' hitting coach in 2020 and 2021, when Albernaz was also on San Francisco's staff, then spent 2022 through 2024 as the Rangers' bench coach and offensive coordinator. That run included Texas' 2023 World Series title. Before the Giants, he was an assistant hitting coach with the Reds in 2019 and coached in the Cardinals' minor league system. (Wikipedia summarizes the career path.)

Texas dropped his bench coach duties after 2024 and dismissed him in May 2025. Ecker has never managed in the majors.

Brandon Hyde, Rays advisor

Hyde has the strongest résumé of the four. He was the 2023 AL Manager of the Year with Baltimore and went 421-492 managing the Orioles before they fired him after a 15-28 start in 2025, per McTaggart. He's now an advisor with the Rays.

The family tie is the obvious footnote. Schwab identified Hyde as Espada's brother-in-law, and Espada, whom Houston let go on Oct. 14, is himself a candidate for Seattle's opening. It doesn't disqualify Hyde, but it'll be part of the conversation if his candidacy goes anywhere.

The order of operations

None of this will move quickly. Sports Illustrated noted that the Astros and Angels are expected to hire general managers before managers, and as of Oct. 24 Houston hadn't named a GM, per MLB.com's tracker. Whoever takes that job will have a big say in whether any of these four gets an interview.

Our take: Each name sells something different. Linares knows the organization from the inside, Hyde has a Manager of the Year award, and Lehmann has hometown roots and a contender's dugout on his résumé. Ecker is the wild card, but his background as an offensive coach is worth noting after a season in which the Astros' outfield posted a .662 OPS, per MLB.com. It's all early, and nobody has interviewed yet as far as anyone has reported.

Around the MLB

• The Nationals are keeping their staff. Washington will bring back manager Blake Butera's entire coaching staff after a 77-win season, its best since 2019, Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic reported. Five members of the training staff weren't renewed. (MLB Trade Rumors)
• The A's hired a 31-year-old baseball boss. The Athletics named Taylor Smith president of baseball operations on Oct. 19. Smith had been a senior vice president and assistant GM with the Red Sox after seven seasons in the Rays' research and development department. He takes over a club that went 64-98 and is set to move to Las Vegas in 2028. (MLB.com)

Sources: Michael Schwab on X (1), Michael Schwab on X (2), MLB.com (potential candidates), Dodger Blue, MLB Trade Rumors (Dodgers), BaltimoreBaseball.com, MLB.com (Orioles staff), Wikipedia (Ecker), Sports Illustrated, MLB.com (tracker), MLB.com (Espada exit), MLB Trade Rumors (Nationals), MLB.com (A's).

Subscribe free at crawfordboxreport.com.