David Ross is headed back to the Worldwide Leader.
ESPN announced Tuesday that the longtime MLB catcher and ex-Cubs manager is coming back to the network on a multiyear deal after having previously been on its airwaves from 2017-19.
Ross, 48, joined his former broadcast partner, Jon “Boog” Sciambi, during Tuesday’s Team USA exhibition game against the Giants on ESPN to break the news of his return.
“I’m so fired up,” Ross, who is serving as Team USA’s bullpen coach during the World Baseball Classic, said during the broadcast.
“Pumped to be back. The ESPN family has been special to me, and I can’t wait to watch some more baseball and be more involved.”
Ross will serve as an MLB analyst for both the network’s game and studio coverage, ESPN added.
A seventh-round pick by the Dodgers in 1998, Ross went on to play 15 big league seasons with seven different teams largely as a backup catcher, retiring after the 2016 season.
He won two World Series titles during his career in 2013 with the Red Sox and in 2016 with the curse-breaking Cubs.
Ross was especially key during Chicago’s 2016 run, hitting two postseason home runs, including a solo shot — in the last official at-bat of his career — during the epic World Series Game 7 against Cleveland.
In October 2019, Ross signed a three-year deal to take over as the Cubs’ manager.
He was fired and later replaced by Craig Counsell after the 2023 season amid a three-season playoff drought.