Overview
- Reports from Mark Feinsand and Maria Guardado say Hunter Mense is joining the Kansas City Royals as an assistant hitting coach, a move reported on Thursday.
- Mense completed one season as the San Francisco Giants’ hitting coach, a year in which the team hit .245/.306/.400 and scored 669 runs, a mark that ranked 26th in MLB.
- Kansas City has reshaped its staff by moving Alec Zumwalt away from daily major-league coaching so he can focus on the minors while retaining the title Director of Hitting Performance.
- Mense will work at the big-league level with assistant coaches Connor Dawson and Marcus Thames, and observers noted the title is a step down from his Giants job and raises questions about San Francisco allowing his exit after one year.
- A Missouri native and former Blue Jays assistant hitting coach from 2022 through 2025, Mense brings experience in player development and a role in Toronto’s 2025 pennant run, a background that the Royals hope will help their offense as both clubs enter the offseason.