Chicago White Sox Make Major Changes To Coaching Staff

CHICAGO –– The White Sox retooled their roster throughout the 2025 season, and they began the offseason with a significant shakeup to the coaching staff.

On Monday evening, the team announced it will not renew the contracts of the following coaches:

• Pitching coach Ethan Katz

• Hitting coach Marcus Thames

• First base/outfield coach Jason Bourgeois

• Catching coach Drew Butera

"While we greatly appreciate all that Ethan, Marcus, Jason and Drew have done for this organization, Will and I have agreed on the very difficult decision to make several changes to our coaching staff in 2026,” White Sox general manager Chris Getz said. “Our respect for these coaches as people and as professionals made these decisions difficult, and we thank them for their many contributions. Our commitment remains to provide the best possible vision, ideas and resources to our players to support their continuing growth and development.”

The White Sox also announced that they have decided not to renew the contract of Triple-A Charlotte Knights manager Sergio Santos in 2026. Santos managed the Double-A Birmingham Barons in 2024 after managing the New York Yankees' High-A affiliate in 2023.

Katz had been with the White Sox the longest among these coaches, serving as the pitching coach since 2021. Thames, Bourgeois and Butera were each new to the organization in 2024 and were retained heading into manager Will Venable's first season in 2025.

"Decisions about the coaching staff are incredibly difficult because these are friends and teammates who have been through all the moments and trials alongside you," Venable said. “I cannot thank each of them enough for the hard work and professionalism they brought to the ballpark daily. Ultimately, we have short-term and long-term goals and objectives for this organization and this team. Our responsibility is to put our players in the best position to grow and succeed, and that means always considering how our staff can best support the growth and success of our players. These choices are never easy, but they come from a deep commitment to giving our players the very best chance to reach our potential together.”

The White Sox also noted that Grady Sizemore will be offered a role within the organization for 2026 after being the team's offensive coordinator in 2025. Sizemore, 43, joined the organization in 2024 as a Major League coach, and he took over as interim manager in August when the team fired manager Pedro Grifol.

The rest of the 2025 White Sox coaching staff under Venable included bench coach Walker McKinven, third base/infield coach Justin Jirschele, assistant pitching coach Matt Wise and assistant hitting coach Joel McKeithan.

The focus now shifts to Getz and Venable filling the open slots on the coaching staff, a process that will begin immediately, the team announced. Venable is heading into his second season as manager in 2026 after two seasons with the Texas Rangers as an associate manager.

In related news, the Rangers announced Monday that they mutually parted ways with four-time World Series champion manager Bruce Bochy, who was offered a front office role with the team. Venable was also previously part of the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs' coaching staffs, dating back to 2017.

Other managers who will not return to their respective teams in 2026 include San Francisco's Bob Melvin, Minnesota's Rocco Baldelli, Baltimore's Brandon Hyde (Tony Mansolino took over as interim in May), Colorado's Bud Black (Warren Schaeffer took over as interim in May) and Washington's Dave Martinez (Miguel Cairo took over as interim in July).