(USA Today) - The Cincinnati Reds announced Thursday morning that they have fired Bryan Price after four-plus seasons as manager.
Cincinnati has started the 2018 season 3-15, the worst record in baseball.
The Reds also ousted pitching coach Mack Jenkins. Former Washington Nationals manager Jim Riggleman will serve as the team's manager in the short-term, while Class AAA Louisville manager Pat Kelly and Class AA Pensacola pitching coach Danny Darwin will both join the major-league staff.
"Later in the year, the team will conduct a thorough managerial search for a permanent replacement," the Reds wrote on Twitter.
Price, 55, took over as manager in 2014 and finished with a record of 279-387. Cincinnati never won more than 76 games in a single season or finished higher than fourth in the National League's Central division.
"The Reds have announced they are replacing manager Bryan Price and pitching coach Mack Jenkins. Effective immediately, bench coach Jim Riggleman is interim manager, Louisville manager Pat Kelly is bench coach, and Pensacola pitching coach Danny Darwin is major league staff."
Price's tenure was marked by a reluctant and gradual rebuild that saw the team trade away All-Stars such as Aroldis Chapman, Johnny Cueto, Todd Frazier and Jay Bruce. Meanwhile, the inability to develop healthy pitchers kept the major league product volatile; the Reds cycled through at least 15 starting pitchers each of the last two seasons.
The club reportedly pondered replacing Price with Hall of Famer Barry Larkin - a roving instructor in the organization - after the 2015 All-Star break. Larkin said earlier this year that he would like to manage, but only with the Reds.
