What about rest of Chicago White Sox coaching staff?

Rick Renteria is the Chicago White Sox's new manager, so he will have to be replaced as bench coach.

As for the rest of the Sox's coaching staff, are more changes coming?

"We have the bench-coach opening, obviously," general manager Rick Hahn said. "We've had a few conversations already the last few weeks about the coaching staff and at this time we don't have any announcements to make."

Don Cooper figures to return for his 15th season as pitching coach, and Jose Abreu raved about first-year assistant hitting coach Greg Sparks helping him emerge from a first-half slump.

Sparks could replace Todd Steverson, who just completed his third season as the White Sox's primary hitting coach.

Decisions also need to be made on third-base coach Joe McEwing, first-base coach Daryl Boston and bullpen coach Bobby Thigpen.

Strange timing:

There was a strange story in USA Today where a "high-ranking" White Sox executive said Robin Ventura had the option of returning next season as manager.

General manager Rick Hahn was not the source from the Sox, and he was asked about the story Monday after Rick Renteria was named manager.

"This wasn't an overnight kind of thing," Hahn said. "Robin didn't inform us in the last day or so that he wasn't coming back. The fact of the matter is, out of his respect for the organization he wanted to give us some time to prepare for this, so we've been working on this for over a month.

"The notion as to whether it was his choice or not? He was the one who initially expressed that he felt it was time for a change and he was ready to relinquish the position.

"And based on our relationship and history together and me knowing him as well as I do, there was no instant where we got to the point of presenting as we want you to come back. Do you want to come back? That's not how it evolved."

Cubs connection:

Rick Renteria managed the Cubs in 2014 before being fired and replaced by Joe Maddon.

The White Sox and Cubs are city rivals, but Rick Hahn said Renteria's connection to the North Side was never a problem.

"I get that. I understand that," Hahn said. "I think it's ultimately far, far more damning if we had passed on him for that reason. That would strike me as extremely narrow-minded and cutting off our nose to spite our face, so to speak, to turn our back on an extremely qualified candidate because he had previously worked for the Cubs or anyone in our division or whoever you wanted to find as a potential rival.

"This is about hiring the best guy."