The Tampa Bay Rays turned to a familiar face to fill an important void on Kevin Cash’s Major League staff, hiring former outfielder Corey Dickerson as the club’s new first-base coach.

Dickerson, who spent two productive seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays from 2016-17, replaces Michael Johns, who left Tampa Bay to join the Washington Nationals as bench coach under Blake Butera. In addition to coaching first base, Dickerson will work closely with Rays outfielders and oversee baserunning – two areas where his playing resume speaks for itself.

“I am thrilled to congratulate and welcome Corey to serve as our first-base coach,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said in a statement. “I look forward to him bringing his experience and expertise to the Major League club.”

At just 36 years old, Dickerson represents a modern coaching hire—recently retired, deeply familiar with today’s game, and still close enough to his playing days to resonate with current players. He officially stepped away from baseball in 2024 after an 11-year MLB career that spanned eight organizations from 2013-23. Over 1,083 games, Dickerson slashed .280/.323/.476 with 136 home runs and 469 RBIs, carving out a reputation as a reliable bat with underrated defensive value.

His best professional season came in a Rays uniform.

In 2017, Dickerson earned his lone All-Star selection after hitting .282 with 27 home runs and 62 RBIs, becoming one of the few true middle-of-the-order threats Tampa Bay has developed in the last decade. He was traded to Pittsburgh the following offseason, where he promptly won a Gold Glove while batting .300, further cementing his reputation as a polished outfielder.

Dickerson spent the 2025 season coaching at Jackson Academy in Mississippi, easing his transition from player to instructor. Now, he returns to the organization where he reached his peak, joining a short but notable list of Rays coaches who once wore the uniform themselves. That group includes Cash, Ozzie Timmons, Paul Hoover, Matt Quatraro, Rocco Baldelli, Dave Martinez, and franchise icon Wade Boggs.

For a Rays organization built on efficiency, player development, and continuity, bringing Dickerson back isn’t nostalgia … it’s strategy.