Astros offensive coordinator Dan Hennigan being courted by Wake Forest: Sources

CHICAGO — Ten days before MLB’s Aug. 3 trade deadline, the Houston Astros are reckoning with another consequence of having a front office in flux.

Dan Hennigan, a biomechanics guru who has carried considerable influence in the Astros’ offensive resurgence, has an offer to leave the organization for a job with Wake Forest University, two sources with knowledge of the discussions told The Athletic on Friday.

Both sources spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the fluid nature of the situation. Hennigan has not accepted a job with Wake Forest, according to one source, but there have been discussions between both parties. The sources said there have been efforts by the Astros to retain Hennigan.

Last year, Wake Forest hired Astros director of pitching Eric Niesen as the school’s pitching coach. Hennigan, who joined the Astros organization in 2025 as director of hitting, overlapped briefly with Niesen in Houston’s system.

Hennigan accompanied the Astros to Rate Field on Friday, where he was spotted working with hitters in the batting cages before Houston’s series-opener against the Chicago White Sox. Houston’s major-league director of hitting and offensive coordinator, Hennigan also operates the Brain and Barrel Hitting facility in Pennsylvania, which opened in 2018. He declined to comment.

This offseason, Astros general manager Dana Brown fended off at least two other major-league teams to keep Hennigan in the organization. Whether Brown can do so again is a mystery. He is working in the final year of his contract and it is unclear how much autonomy he has to make decisions with such long-term ramifications.

Brown, however, will run the Astros’ trade deadline, during which the club is expected to pursue upgrades in the outfield, bullpen and, potentially, the starting rotation.

Owner Jim Crane still carries some influence in baseball operations decisions — he telephoned pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. last week and asked him to waive his no-trade clause — and it stands to reason Crane will be involved during the deadline alongside Brown.

Hennigan has drawn acclaim from all corners of Houston’s clubhouse, where he has worked with veteran hitting coaches Victor Rodriguez and Anthony Iapoce to form what first baseman Christian Walker described as a “three-headed monster.” Rodriguez, Iapoce and Hennigan all joined manager Joe Espada’s overhauled coaching staff this offseason.

In his role as offensive coordinator, Hennigan has spearheaded the Astros’ pre-series preparation, working alongside advance scouting coordinator Ricardo Lizarraga to compile copious amounts of data that is sent to the team’s group chat each night.

“The info is good,” Walker said in April. “It’s efficient. We’re not getting overloaded. We talked a lot during spring (training) about ‘What do you need to see before a game?’ I think what we’re getting is just a blend of all this information.”

Hennigan’s initial job description did not include him being in uniform or in the dugout during games, but input from both Espada and players altered that. He has accompanied the team on almost every road trip and is a fixture in the dugout during games.

For how much longer now feels like a pertinent question.