Why Royals are ruling out coaching-staff shakeup despite dismal ‘26 season to date
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- Picollo said the club will retain the current staff but may evaluate after the season.
- The Royals entered Tuesday with a 35-50 record and sat last in the AL Central.
- Manager Matt Quatraro received a three-year contract extension this offseason.
The Kansas City Royals aren’t planning to make any major changes within their coaching staff.
General manager J.J. Picollo said as much ahead of Tuesday’s series opener against the Tampa Bay Rays at Kauffman Stadium. He indicated the Royals will retain their current staff but potentially evaluate further at season’s end.
“These are the same guys we’ve worked with for really four seasons now,” Picollo said. “We’ve been through the highs and the lows, and they’ve been challenged before.”
The Royals entered the season with high expectations. They earned an MLB playoff berth in 2024 and turned in consecutive winning campaigns. There was hopet they could win the American League Central and compete within the upper echelon of the league.
However, the Royals have fallen short of the mark. They entered Tuesday’s game with a 35-50 record, last place in the AL Central.
April was a disappointing month. The Royals lost 19 of their first 31 games as the season opened and dealt with key injuries within their pitching staff.
Closer Carlos Estévez was sidelined with a left-foot contusion. And weeks later, he suffered a setback caused by a right rotator-cuff strain.
Other notable injuries include second baseman Jonathan India (left-shoulder surgery), starting pitcher Cole Ragans (left-elbow impingement) and first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino (right-hamate fracture).
“You know, we’re faced with a challenge that’s greater than any other point right now,” Picollo said. “Because in ‘23 the expectations weren’t as high. The expectations were there this year, so it’s more challenging.
“But I know what this group is about. I know how they work. They’re very curious and they want answers. They want to try to find solutions to the questions we had, and that’s what they work (on).
“So I know they are prepared every day, and that’s all we can ask. At the end of the year, you take a look and say, ‘Is this moving in the right direction we wanted to go?’”
The Royals hired two new assistant hitting coaches this offseason. Both Marcus Thames and Connor Dawson have assisted hitting coach Alec Zumwalt throughout the year.
Additionally, the Royals added assistant pitching coach Mike McFerran to work alongside Brian Sweeney and the pitching staff. McFerran replaced Zach Bove, who left to join the Chicago White Sox.
“Right now, it’s just keep having conversations with them, share things we are seeing as a front office and let them share concerns they have with us,” Picollo said of conversations with Quatraro and his staff. “So together, we can be part of the answers together.”
The Royals still hope to turn around their season. They will lean on members of the coaching staff and of course their teammates in pursuit of doing so.
Manager Matt Quatraro signed a three-year contract extension this past offseason. Under his leadership, the Royals have seen steady growth in such young players as Jac Caglianone and Carter Jensen, and All-Star seasons from Bobby Witt Jr., Seth Lugo, Maikel Garcia and Estévez.
Despite their dismal start, the Royals still believe in their coaching staff. Picollo stressed the need to work together and figure out a better plan moving forward.
“We expect to win more games,” he said. This town and this city expect to win more games. There’s a responsibility that we feel that we need to produce. We need to answer those expectations and figure out how we can get better.”
This story was originally published June 30, 2026 at 6:30 PM.
