Joe Girardi is coming back to The Bronx — as a broadcaster.
The ex-Yankees catcher and manager is joining YES Network as an analyst for the upcoming season, the network announced Friday afternoon.
It’s not clear yet how YES plans to use Girardi for this season.
Girardi, who previously had stints on the channel in 2004 and 2007, spoke about his return to Yankees baseball on Friday’s episode of “The Michael Kay Show” on ESPN New York.
When asked if it would be odd to watch his old team — being managed by his replacement, Aaron Boone — from the broadcast booth, Girardi said it wouldn’t bother him.
“When you look at who’s there, [Aaron] Judge might be the only player I managed,” he said. “This is a whole different team than who I managed. … It’s really amazing how teams change over so quickly. So, no, I don’t think it’ll be weird or anything because I really don’t know the players.”
Girardi, who spent four years with the franchise as a player, led the Yankees to a World Series crown in his second year as the team’s skipper in 2009 and made the playoffs five other times before his last season with the club in 2017.
The four-time World Series champion took the Phillies’ managerial job in 2020, getting fired a third of the way through the 2022 season, and he eventually joined the Cubs’ Marquee Network as a color commentator and analyst that summer.
Girardi will continue working with Marquee this season, as well, YES Network’s Jack Curry reported.
When pressed Friday if he’d like to manage again, the 59-year-old said yes, but added: “If I don’t get a chance, I’m OK with that, too. I’m at peace with that. … I love broadcasting too, it’s a great job. I’m really fortunate to come back to what I consider home to the Yankees.”
Yankees as a manager. ASSOCIATED PRESS
Girardi also has worked as an analyst on MLB Network and as a color commentator on Fox’s MLB coverage.