KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Athletics hitting coach Thad Bosley was fired Saturday after returning to Oakland for a meeting with general manager Billy Beane.

Dave Hudgens was picked as the interim hitting coach -- and Hudgens is the one the A's reassigned to move Bosley from first-base coach to hitting coach after the 1999 season.

"For the best of the organization, we thought it was time to go in a different direction with Thad's position,'' Beane said. "We would like to thank Thad for his contributions over the past five years and wish him all the best in his future endeavors.''

Bosley, the Athletics' hitting coach since 2000, was quoted this week saying he expected to be fired.

"I think that's been well covered the last couple of days,'' manager Ken Macha said.

The A's are five games behind first-place Seattle in the AL West and entered Saturday's game hitting .257, 11th in the league.

Hudgens, the club's assistant director of player development who served as the A's hitting coach for the 1999 season, will join the team Tuesday in time for their game against the Florida Marlins in Miami.

Bosley, 46, joined the A's staff in 1999 as the first-base coach.

Hudgens, whose career with the Athletics dates back to the 1982 season, has spent seven seasons as assistant director of player development, with main responsibilities in the assignment, development and evaluation of players throughout the minor league system.