George Brett ends role as Royals interim hitting coach

Royals legend George Brett extended his term as interim hitting coach an extra month before stepping down. (Tim Umphrey/Getty Images) The Royals announced

Royals legend George Brett extended his term as interim hitting coach an extra month before stepping down. (Tim Umphrey/Getty Images)

The Royals announced George Brett is stepping away as the team's interim hitting coach and resuming his role as Vice President of Baseball Operations.

Pedro Grifol, who has been working with Royals hitters alongside Brett, has been named as the team’s hitting coach, according to the Royals.

Brett, a Hall of Famer and Kansas City legend, stepped into the interim role on May 30 after the slumping Royals reassigned hitting coaches Jack Maloof and Andre David to minor-league roles. Brett promised he'd devote a month as interim hitting coach, but extended his time to two months.

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From the Kansas City Star:

“My lifelong passion after playing was not to be a hitting coach,” Brett said in a statement released by the club. “But Dayton (Moore, the club’s general manager) asked me if I would consider it, and I did, but only on the promise that it would be on an interim basis.

“There is a ton of talent here, and doing this for almost two months has prepared me to be a better advisor to Dayton and his staff. This has been an unbelievable experience for me, and now I’m energized to contribute more to this organization as I return to my non-uniformed role.”