TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays’ coaching staff is beginning to take shape with the hiring of DeMarlo Hale away from the Baltimore Orioles to serve as John Gibbons’ bench coach, a source said Saturday.

Hale, 51, served as Buck Showalter’s third base coach last year after six seasons coaching with the Boston Red Sox, four at third base and two more as Terry Francona’s bench coach.

The Chicago native was a finalist for the Blue Jays managerial opening that went to John Farrell two years ago, but isn’t believed to have interviewed with GM Alex Anthopoulos for the position this time.

Instead he’ll serve as the right-hand man to Gibbons, whom he managed against in the minor-leagues as the Blue Jays attempt to rebuild a coaching staff hit by Farrell’s defection to Boston and the subsequent departures of Torey Lovullo and Brian Butterfield, who was a finalist for the Toronto job.

Hale’s arrival raises immediate questions about the future of Don Wakamatsu, the bench coach under Farrell the past two years who isn’t known to have interviewed to replace him with the Blue Jays.

Wakamatsu has been weighing coaching offers from other clubs, and it’s unclear if he’ll have a role in Toronto under Gibbons.

Also still in limbo are hitting coach Dwayne Murphy, pitching coach Bruce Walton and bullpen coach Pete Walker, each of whom Gibbons knows well from his first stint with the Blue Jays, plus well regarded coaching assistant Luis Rivera.

@jonheymancbs quite pissed at that. Gonna miss D.Hale. Great coach man

— Adam Jones (@SimplyAJ10) November 24, 2012