The Philadelphia Phillies have hired former manager Charlie Manuel as the team's new hitting coach after relieving John Mallee of his duties, the team announced Tuesday.

Manuel, 75, last managed the Phillies in 2013. He is the franchise's winningest manager with a 780-636 mark, leading the team to a 2008 World Series championship and five straight division titles.

Since the All-Star break, the Phillies rank last in the National League in batting average (.240), RBI (109) and extra-base hits (82), and the team's .705 OPS ranks ahead of only the Marlins during that span.

Manuel will assume his new role immediately, the team said. He has previously twice served as a hitting coach for the Cleveland Indians, with whom he also was manager from 2000 to 2002.

After he was fired by the Phillies, Manuel was brought back into the fold as a senior adviser to general manager Ruben Amaro in 2014.

The Phillies are just two games back in the National League wild card race. They trail the Atlanta Braves by nine games in the NL East standings through Monday.