Giants lose hitting coach Mense to Royals (source)

SAN FRANCISCO -- The Giants will have a notable vacancy to fill on manager Tony Vitello’s coaching staff this offseason, as Hunter Mense is leaving the organization to become an assistant hitting coach for the Royals, sources told MLB.com on Thursday.

Mense, 42, spent four seasons as an assistant hitting coach for the Blue Jays before he was hired to serve as the Giants’ hitting coach last offseason. Mense ended up spending only one year in San Francisco, overseeing a Giants offense that slashed .245/.306/.400 with a 97 wRC+ in 2026.

Mense had close ties to Vitello, a fellow University of Missouri alum who coached him in college from 2004-06, but joining the Royals will allow him to be closer to his family. Mense is a native of Liberty, Mo., and his wife, Nicolette, currently works as a dietician for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Mense’s departure leaves assistant Oscar Bernard as the Giants’ lone hitting coach for now, though the club is already having discussions about how to backfill the position.

The Giants have also made some tweaks to their pitching infrastructure this offseason, as assistant pitching coach Christian Wonders is expected to transition to director of pitching and take on more of a player development role on the Minor League side.

Pitching coach Justin Meccage and bullpen coach Jesse Chavez are expected to stay on in their current roles, while Frank Anderson will switch from director of pitching to an assistant pitching coach on the Major League staff.