Former New York Yankees slugger Hideki Matsui has been appointed manager of Japan's Yomiuri Giants, the team where he spent the first 10 seasons of his professional baseball career.

Matsui, 52, replaces interim manager Hideki Hashigami, who assumed the position in May following Shinnosuke Abe's resignation. Abe stepped down after being arrested on allegations that he assaulted his daughter, although Japanese authorities did not indict him.

The Giants selected Matsui in the first round when he was a teenager, and he played for the Tokyo-based club from 1993 through 2002. During his time in Japan, he batted .304 with 332 home runs and 889 RBIs before moving to Major League Baseball ahead of the 2003 season.

Matsui spent most of his MLB career with the New York, finishing with a .282 batting average, 175 home runs and 760 RBIs. His biggest achievement came during the Yankees' 2009 World Series win over the Philadelphia Phillies, when he hit .615 with three home runs and eight RBIs across six games. Six of his RBIs came in Game 6, including a home run against Pedro Martinez, helping win the championship and earning him the series MVP award.

After leaving New York following the 2009 season, Matsui played for the Los Angeles Angels, Athletics and Tampa Bay Rays. He later signed a ceremonial one-day contract with the Yankees and retired as a member of the organization in 2013. His combined home runs across Japanese and American professional baseball exceeded 500.

Matsui also earned Japan Series MVP recognition during his time with the Giants and entered the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame in 2018, becoming its youngest inductee.

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As manager, Matsui will wear No. 90, combining the numbers 55 and 35 that he wore during his playing career in Japan and MLB, respectively.

The Giants finished last season with a 76-64 record and have not won a Japan Series championship since 2012. Matsui's appointment also follows the club’s selection of pitcher Shoki Oda in the first round of the 2026 NPB draft. Oda had previously expressed his intention to pursue opportunities in MLB or NCAA baseball, leaving the Giants with a potential challenge in retaining the highly regarded pitcher.