Brad Ausmus second to interview for Red Sox managerial opening

For the second time in as many days, the Red Sox conducted an interview for their vacant managerial position.

After traveling to New York on Sunday to speak with Houston Astros bench coach Alex Cora, the Sox hosted Brad Ausmus on Monday.

Ausmus, of course, needed no formal introduction to Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, who hired him to manage the Detroit Tigers after the 2013 season to replace the retiring Jim Leyland.

Ausmus managed Detroit for four seasons – the first two and a half under Dombrowski – and compiled a 314-342 record (.486 winning percentage). His Tigers won 90 games in his first full season before dropping to 74-87 mark in 2015. In 2016, the Tigers rebounded to 86-75 and a second-place finish.

This past season, the Tigers weathered a 64-98 record, tying them with the San Francisco Giants, for the worst record in the game. With a week to go in the season, Ausmus was told by the Tigers he would not be returning for 2018.

This is not the first time that Ausmus has interviewed for the Red Sox managerial post. After the team fired Bobby Valentine the day after the 2012 season, Ausmus was one of several candidates who spoke to then-GM Ben Cherington and others. Ultimately, the Red Sox selected John Farrell, and sometime later, Dombrowski chose Ausmus to manage Detroit.

Ausmus had offered the opportunity to interview with the New York Mets – one of three other major league teams beyond the Sox in search of a manager – but declined the invitation, a source said.

Many in baseball believe that Cora is the favorite for the position, though Ausmus cannot be ruled out given his past history with Dombrowski. Cora is scheduled to interview with the Mets on Tuesday and may also be in the running for the openings in Philadelphia and Detroit.

Ausmus is among three managerial candidates whom the Sox have interviewed or intend to interview. In addition to Cora, the Sox have asked permission from the Arizona Diamondbacks to speak with bench coach Ron Gardenhire, though it's unclear when Gardenhire will interview.