Raul Ibanez has withdrawn his name from consideration for the Rays managerial opening, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. That leaves Indians bullpen coach Kevin Cash and Royals bench coach Don Wakamatsu as the two remaining finalists. The Rays are expected to make their decision no earlier than Friday. Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com also tweets that a decision “will come tomorrow or soon thereafter.”
The 42-year-old Ibanez was one of three finalists for the Rays position. He cited a “desire to spend more time with [his] family” as the reason for the withdrawal. That probably also signals a plan to retire. He spent parts of 19 seasons in the majors, although he struggled throughout the 2014 campaign.
