CHICAGO (AP) — Grady Sizemore is staying with the Chicago White Sox, serving as the offensive coordinator under first-year manager Will Venable.
Sizemore was elevated to interim manager when Chicago fired Pedro Grifol in August. The former big league outfielder guided the team to a 13-32 record down the stretch as the White Sox went 41-121 to break the post-1900 major league record for losses in a season.
Shortly after Venable was hired in October, he said he anticipated Sizemore being a part of his first staff with his new team.
The White Sox announced Sizemore and the rest of the team's coaches on Monday. Also sticking around from the 2024 staff; pitching coach Ethan Katz, hitting coach Marcus Thames, assistant pitching coach Matt Wise, first base/outfield coach Jason Bourgeois, third base/infield coach Justin Jirschele and catching coach Drew Butera.
Walker McKinven was hired as Venable's bench coach. McKinven, 35, spent the last five seasons on the coaching staff for the Milwaukee Brewers. The Evanston, Illinois, native was the run prevention coordinator for the NL Central champions this year.
Joel McKeithan was hired as an assistant hitting coach. McKeithan, 33, was the hitting coach for the Cincinnati Reds for the last two seasons. He originally joined the Reds organization as the assistant hitting coach before the 2022 season.
The White Sox said Mike Gellinger and Doug Sisson, who were added to the big league coaching staff in August, will be reassigned within the organization.
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FILE- Chicago White Sox interim manager Grady Sizemore looks on before a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants in San Francisco, Aug. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)
NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street closed higher and reached more records Wednesday on a holiday-shortened trading day.
The S&P 500 index rose 22.26 points, or 0.3%, to 6,932.05. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 288.75, or 0.6%, to close at 48,731.16, and the Nasdaq composite added 51.46, or 0.2%, to 23,613.31
Trading was extremely light as markets closed early for Christmas Eve and will be closed for Christmas Thursday. Roughly 1.8 billion shares traded on the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday, which is roughly a third of the average trading day.
Markets will reopen for a full day of trading on Friday; however volumes are expected to remain light this week with most investors having closed out their positions for the year.
The S&P 500 is up more than 17% this year, as investors have embraced the deregulatory policies of the Trump administration and been optimistic about the future of artificial intelligence in helping boost profits for not only technology companies but also for Corporate America. Some of the strongest performers this year include Nvidia and Micron Technologies, both companies that make chips or other components that power the proliferation of data centers across the country.
Much of the focus for investors for the next few weeks will be on where the U.S. economy is heading and where the Federal Reserve will move interest rates. Investors are betting the Fed will hold steady on interest rates at its January meeting.
The U.S. economy grew at a surprisingly strong 4.3% annual rate in the third quarter, the most rapid expansion in two years, driven by consumers who continue to spend in the face of ongoing inflation. There have also been recent reports showing shaky confidence among consumers worried about high prices. The labor market has been slowing and retail sales have weakened.
The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell last week and remain at historically healthy levels despite some signs that the labor market is weakening.
U.S. applications for jobless claims for the week ending Dec. 20 fell by 10,000 to 214,000 from the previous week’s 224,000, the Labor Department reported Wednesday. That’s below the 232,000 new applications forecast of analysts surveyed by the data firm FactSet.
Dynavax Technologies soared 38.2% after Sanofi said it was acquiring the California-based vaccine maker in a deal worth $2.2 billion. The French drugmaker will add Dynavax’s hepatitis B vaccines to its portfolio, as well as a shingles vaccine that is still in development.
Novo Nordisk's shares rose 1.8% after the weight-loss drug company got approval from U.S. regulators for a pill version of its blockbuster drug Wegovy. However, Novo Nordisk shares are still down almost 40% this year as the company has faced increased competition for weight-loss medications, particularly from Eli Lilly. Shares of Eli Lilly are up 40% this year.
European markets moved between slight gains and losses. Asian markets were also quiet, with Hong Kong moving up 0.2% while Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 0.1%
Gold prices were flat at $4,502 an ounce, and silver rose 0.8% to $71.69. U.S. crude oil was flat at $58.38 a barrel.
Derek Orth works on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
A board above the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange displays the closing number for the Dow Jones industrial average, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)
Anthony Matesic works on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
A person stands in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Monday, Dec. 22, 2025, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
FILE - A screen displays financial news as traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Thursday, April 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
A person walks in front of a chart showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
