David Ross is returning to television after leaving his role as a Major League Baseball analyst for ESPN to become the manager of the Chicago Cubs.
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ESPN announced Ross’ multi-year contract on Tuesday. He will serve as an MLB analyst across game and studio coverage in 2026 for the same network that employed him from 2017 to 2019.
ESPN lost its “Sunday Night Baseball” package to NBC after terminating its contract with MLB after last season. Bringing back Ross confirms that the national pastime will still have a place in ESPN’s studio programming and puts the popular player and manager back in the public eye three years after his final season in the Cubs’ dugout.
Ross, 48, managed the Cubs to a 262-284 record in four seasons. His best season was his last. The Cubs went 83-79 in 2023 and finished one game out of the wild-card race.
Nonetheless, the Cubs replaced Ross with Craig Counsell after that season. They have finished second to the Milwaukee Brewers in each of the last two seasons, as was their final season under Ross.
Ross played a key role in helping the Cubs end their 108-year World Series championship drought in 2016, his final year as a player. As Miguel Montero’s backup catcher, Ross hit a home run in Game 7 of the series against Cleveland pitcher Andrew Miller, becoming the oldest player to hit a home run in a World Series at age 39.
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