Angels dump Ron Washington in latest MLB shakeup

Ron Washington is out in Anaheim. 

The Angels manager won’t have his 2026 option picked up, the team announced Tuesday. 

Washington, 73, had been away from the team since June to undergo quadruple bypass heart surgery. 

Interim manager Ray Montgomery will not be returning either, The Athletic added. 

In an interview on Tuesday, Washington told The Athletic that the decision was based on the Angels’ play — not his health. 

“You know, when you’re a competitor, and you’re in charge, none of that stuff comes into play,” Washington said. “Sometimes you’ve got to make chicken salad out of chicken s–t.”

Washington told the outlet that he didn’t get a chance to speak with Angels owner Arte Moreno before his managerial decision. 

“I have to accept that,” Washington added. “I can’t go back to argue with them to try and tell them different when they’ve made a decision. … We were starting to perform better.”

Washington became the Angels’ manager before the 2024 season. 

That year, the Angels went 63-99.

When Washington, who previously led the Rangers to World Series appearances in 2010 and ’11, left the team this season, the Angels were sitting at a respectable 36-38. 

They faded down the stretch, finishing 72-90.

“I think I had the team going in the right direction — I really did,” Washington said. “And it was just too bad that my health came into play. There’s nothing that I can do about that.

“It was my team. I think the team took on my personality. We were definitely showing that. In this business, this is the kind of stuff that happens to you. When everything goes not the way people wanted, you take the blame for it. And I’m OK.”

Former Angels stars Albert Pujols and Torii Hunter, who are both currently special assistants for the team, are expected to be candidates for the job.