He also played for two teams in Japan: the Seibu Lions (1988–1990) and the Hiroshima Toyo Carp (1991) with his registered name "Burkleo".

[4] Van Burkleo's Angels contract was bought by the Seibu Lions of Nippon Professional Baseball in 1987.

[12][13] On August 19, 2012, Van Burkleo was named the interim hitting coach for the Houston Astros.

[16] On August 7, 2020, Van Burkleo announced he was opting out of the remainder of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On October 6, 2021, the Indians announced Van Burkleo would not return as hitting coach for the 2022 season.