Bryan Price will return as the Cincinnati Reds' manager in 2016, general manager Walt Jocketty told reporters Saturday.
Jocketty spoke before Saturday's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The announcement comes despite a second consecutive losing season and a current 13-game losing streak.
"Just to put this to rest, Bryan is coming back as the Reds manager in 2016," Jocketty said. "We are going to discuss the coaching staff over the next couple of weeks and we'll make an announcement about that in two to three weeks."
Jocketty and owner Bob Castellini made the decision "a couple of days ago," according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. Price has one year left on his initial three-year contract, but it will not be extended.
"My feeling is it's one thing to go through the labor pains but you want to be there to deliver the baby," Price said, according to the Enquirer. "You want to see that the challenges we've endured, we've worked our way through, we've established the talent that we need to be competitive and win the division and go out there and win divisions and get ourselves to places we haven't been in a long time."
The 53-year-old Price is 139-183 in his two seasons as the Reds' skipper.
Injuries played a key role in the Reds' struggles. The Reds used the DL 18 times in 2015, tied for seventh in the NL. Key contributors Homer Bailey, Devin Mesoraco, Zack Cozart and Sean Marshall were all ruled out for the entire season at some point in the season.
"There's work ahead to do," he said. Part of that groundwork has been laid the last couple of months with this young starting rotation. We're learning things that are going to help us in 2016 and beyond but it's been very challenging, very painful to not win at a much higher rate than we have. This is the time when we're building the foundation for the future and we'll get it done."
Todd Frazier, the Reds' All-Star third baseman, approved of Price's retention.
"He deserves another chance, we need to play better for him and we need to show why he's going to be a really good manager," Frazier said, according to the Enquirer.
ESPN Stats & Information contributed to this report.