💥 BREAKING NEWS: White Sox Officially Unveil Their Entire MLB Coaching Staff Ahead of the 2026 Season ⚡.DD
The Chicago White Sox have announced their full coaching staff for the 2026 season
The White Sox finally have new news, but it’s not the addition on the player front that fans have been waiting for.
The team has announced the full coaching staff for the 2026 season, which features several returning names and a few newcomers. Here is the full list:
Will Venable, Manager
Venable returns as manager for his second season after leading the White Sox to a 19-game improvement in 2025.
The well-respected coach was impressive in his first season, bringing together a young clubhouse and integrating analytics into his decisionmaking.
It remains to be seen how Venable will handle a winning team, but the White Sox may have found their manager for the long haul
Walker McKinven, Bench Coach
McKinven also returns to the White Sox for his second season.
This year he’ll take on more of a role with the team’s catchers.
McKinven was hired away from Milwaukee, where he spent years working on game-planning and catcher development.
He’s a young, analytical mind that has become a crucial part of developing the White Sox young talent.
Zach Bove, Pitching Coach
Zach Bove will replace the departing Ethan Katz after spending two seasons in the Royals organization.
The Royals were a top ten pitching staff in both years with Bove, and he’s said to be a smart, hands-on, coach who will put his young pitchers in the best position to succeed.
He’ll look to develop young pitchers like Shane Smith and Sean Burke along with prospects Tanner McDougal, Noah Schultz, and Hagen Smith.
Bobby Hearn, Assistant Pitching Coach
A former player at Wake Forest University, Hearn lands with the White Sox after a year in the Minnesota Twins organization.
Before his professional career, Hearn spent two years as an assistant coach at Davidson University.
At just 29 years-old, he’s a young up-and-coming coach in the industry and should be a great fit on a young White Sox team.
Matt Wise, Bullpen Coach
A former major league reliever, Wise became the bullpen coach for the Angels in 2020 before taking the same role with the White Sox in 2024.
He’ll return for his third season looking to continue developing arms like Grant Taylor, Brandon Eisert, Jordan Leasure, and Mike Vasil in the pen.
Derek Shomon, Hitting Coach
A former Schaumburg Boomers staff member, Shomon spent several years with the Minnesota Twins before heading to Miami in 2025 as an assistant hitting coach.
He’ll take on the main role for the White Sox in 2026 with a focus on pitch selection and swing decisions.
The White Sox will hope that Shomon’s work with 2025 breakout player Kyle Stowers will carry over to his new organization
Joel McKeithan, Assistant Hitting Coach
The 34 year-old McKeithan returns for his second season with the White Sox after serving under Marcus Thames a year ago.
He was previously in the lead hitting coach role for the Cincinnati Reds, so he brings experience to assist first-time lead coach Derek Shomon.
Jose Leger, First Base Coach
A longtime minor league manager with the Mets and Cardinals, Leger will join an MLB coaching staff for the first time.
He’s famous for managing Heisman winner Tim Tebow during his brief attempt at a baseball career.
Leger brings years of experience in the dugout and working with many different types of players.
Justin Jirschele, Third Base Coach
The longest-tenured member of the White Sox organization by far, Jirschele returns for his second season as third-base coach.
He played for the White Sox organization for four seasons and immediately became a coach upon his retirement in 2015.
Jirschele managed at the Low-A, Double-A, and Triple-A levels before reaching the big leagues as a base coach in 2024.
Chris Denorfia, Major League Field Coordinator
Denorfia, 45, played ten big league seasons and spent time with five teams over his career.
After retiring as a player in 2015, Denorfia worked in a front office role for the Chicago Cubs.
He became a minor league manager in the Colorado Rockies organization in 2020, and now heads to the White Sox, where he’ll be on a big league coaching staff for the first time.
Bennett Markinson and Luis Sierra, Bullpen Catchers
Markinson, 22, played baseball at Harvard-Westlake High School in Southern California, the same high school as MLB pitchers Lucas Giolito, Max Fried, and Jack Flaherty.
He attended Northwestern University and went undrafted before signing a contract with the Philadelphia Phillies.
After just one season, Markinson made the decision to retire and will now join the White Sox coaching staff.
Luis Sierra played in the White Sox organization from 2005 to 2015.
Despite never making the big leagues, he has a lot of experience playing professional baseball, and will return to the White Sox in a coaching capacity in 2026.
Tony Medina, Major League Assistant
A former player at Cornell, Medina joined the minor league coaching ranks, with stops in the Royals and Rangers organizations.
He joined the Schaumburg Boomers in 2022 as a hitting coach and will now head to the White Sox for his first stint on a big league staff, filling the role once held by Grady Sizemore.
