Terry Francona Returns to Baseball Refreshed with Reds

After a year away from the dugout, Terry Francona savored the simple pleasures of sleeping in and debating a second cup of coffee before tackling the crossword puzzle. But when the Cincinnati Reds called him back to managing in October 2024, the transition to predawn wake-ups for spring training felt like a homecoming. “My mind went right back into baseball, and it kind of feels good,” Francona said early in his first camp with the Reds. The 65-year-old, who turns 66 in April, finds unmatched comfort at the ballpark, a place he’s known since childhood as the son of a major leaguer and a 1980 first-round draft pick. “There’s no place on this earth I’m more comfortable,” he added, embracing his return to the game.
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Francona’s year off proved essential after a grueling 11 seasons with Cleveland, where health issues—including a shoulder replacement and double hernia surgery—forced him to step away at the end of 2023. Having previously missed chunks of the 2020 and 2021 seasons, he admitted, “Physically, I was so beat up that it starts to become mental, and you start, it wears on you.” Now rejuvenated, the two-time World Series champ and three-time Manager of the Year feels ready to lead again. Cincinnati, hungry for its first playoff series win in three decades, banks on Francona’s 1,950 career victories—second only to Bruce Bochy among active managers—to turn the tide, and he’s eager to meet the challenge with the patience and passion he knows the job demands.