KC Royals reunite with legendary manager to spark deep 2025 playoff run

It's been five years since Ned Yost retired as manager of the Kansas City Royals at the end of the 2019 season. After nine seasons, two back-to-back AL pennants, and a World Series win as the team's bench boss, Yost had firmly established himself as a legend in Kansas City, and his status was confirmed even further with his induction into the Royals Hall of Fame in 2023.

Now, with the team looking to secure another playoff campaign, Yost is coming back to Kansas City. On February 11, the Royals announced that the 70-year-old World Champion is returning to the organization to serve as a senior advisor to general manager J.J. Picollo for the 2025 season.

Ned Yost returns to the KC Royals

Yost retired from his playing career in 1985, and from 1991 to 2002, he was a coach for the Atlanta Braves, including during their 1995 World Series-winning campaign. At the end of 2002, the Milwaukee Brewers announced that Yost would be taking over as the team's manager for 2003, a role he held for the next (almost) five seasons. After accumulating a 457-502 managerial record, Yost was fired by the Brewers on September 15, 2008.

Following the firing of Trey Hillman, the Royals announced Yost as Kansas City's new manager on May 13, 2009. In 2013, he led the team to their first winning season (86-76) in a decade, and in 2014, they won the AL pennant, marking their first playoff berth — and, therefore, their first pennant — since 1985. Although they were eventually defeated by the San Francisco Giants in the World Series, the 2014 Royals became the first team in MLB history to win their first eight consecutive postseason games, and Yost finished third in Manager of the Year voting.

In 2015, the Royals finished the regular season with the best record in the American League (95-67), giving them home advantage throughout the postseason. After winning their second consecutive AL pennant, Kansas City defeated the New York Mets in five games to win their first World Series title since 1985, and Yost's first as a manager.

Yost retired at the end of the 2019 season as the longest serving manager in Royals history, with his career 746 wins and 839 losses as a manager both still standing as franchise records. In a pregame ceremony on September 2, 2023, he was inducted as the 27th member of the Royals Hall of Fame.

Now, Yost is returning to Kansas City.

After a 106-loss season in 2023, the Royals had a historic comeback last year, securing their first playoff campaign since 2015. In 2025, the team is looking to play even deeper into the postseason — and who knows more about that exact situation than Yost?

“My deep love for the Royals, for Kansas City, and for the people there never left,” Yost told reporters, per the Associated Press. “I just want to help, because I know I can help. I know what it takes to build a world championship club, and I think we’re getting close. I think we’re getting really close.”