Jun 24, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash (16) talks with the media before a game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Peter Aiken-Imagn Images

Rays Officially Announce Coaching Staff Under Manager Kevin Cash

Originally posted on Tampa Bay Rays on SI
By Kenneth Teape | Last updated Jan 14, 2026 1:00 PM ET

One of the reasons that the Tampa Bay Rays have been able to exceed expectations on the field with regularity is that they have maintained continuity in the front office and on the coaching staff.

They are working in harmony, getting the most out of a roster that doesn’t come close to competing with their rivals in the American League East when it comes to spending power. The Rays have a huge gap to make up because they cannot just plug holes with free agent signings like the Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays have done this winter.

That puts some pressure on manager Kevin Cash to push the right buttons and get the most out of the players on the team. And just as has been the case in recent years, a majority of the people with whom he will be working understand the assignment because the staff is coming back.

Out of the 14 people whom the Rays shared on their official announcement on X, 11 are returnees, including Cash.

Rays officially announce coaching staff under Kevin Cash

Coming back in the same roles as they held in 2025 are bench coach Rodney Linares, pitching coach Kyle Snyder, hitting coach Chad Mottola, third-base coach Brady Williams, assistant pitching and rehab coach Rick Knapp, bullpen coach Jorge Moncada, field coordinator Tomas Francisco, process and development coach Kris Goodman, staff assistant/bullpen catcher Misha Dworken and bullpen catcher Charlie Valerio.

The last hiring to round out the staff was Will Bradley. He has been promoted to assistant hitting coach and will have a split role with the franchise, also spending time with Triple-A Durham.

According to the team, via Adam Berry of MLB.com, Bradley’s primary focus will be on the Big League team and players who are on the 40-man roster. Before being promoted to this role, he spent the last three years as a minor league hitting coordinator and one year as the hitting coach with Triple-A Durham.

There will be a few familiar faces back with the Rays in 2026 on the staff. Ozzie Timmons, who held roles as first base coach and a special assistant in the past, is back as the team’s assistant hitting coach.

Introducing our official 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣6️⃣ Coaching Staff! pic.twitter.com/fcFQKxN3lr
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) January 13, 2026

He will be replacing Brady North. Also needing to be replaced is Michael Johns, the former first base coach. Johns was hired by the Washington Nationals to become the bench coach for Blake Butera’s first staff as manager of the team.

Butera was hired away from Tampa Bay, where he was lauded for his player development work as assistant field coordinator and senior director of player development. Previously to that, Butera was a manager in the minor leagues, where he began his coaching career at 25 years old.

Taking Johns’s place as first base coach is former MLB All-Star Corey Dickerson.