Mariners dismiss asst. hitting coach Magallanes; Paparella joins staff

ARLINGTON -- Looking to salvage their scuffling offense for this final stretch run, and perhaps simply to shake things up, the Mariners on Thursday parted ways with assistant hitting coach Bobby Magallanes.

Ed Paparella, a hitting coordinator who’s primarily worked in the Minors side, is joining the big league coaching staff for the rest of the season.

The club made the announcement during an off-day leading into a huge showdown with the Rangers, who the Mariners are now trailing for first place in the American League West.

Magallanes, 56, was in his second season in Seattle, hired in tandem with hitting coach Kevin Seitzer during the 2024-25 offseason after they’d spent four seasons working alongside each other for the Braves.

Seitzer, who reports to director of hitting strategy Edgar Martinez, will remain on manager Dan Wilson’s staff.

The move comes one day after the Mariners (51-52) dropped their second straight game against the Reds, who sit in last place in the National League Central, which capped a 3-3 homestand coming out of the All-Star break.

They’ve tumbled to a half-game back of Texas for first place in what’s been the sport’s most pedestrian division, and are now two games behind surging Boston for the final AL Wild Card spot, as the first team on the outside looking in.

There’s been plenty of culpability for the club’s team-wide struggles, but the offensive shortcomings have become far more glaring of late.

Mariners offense, 2026 (ranks among MLB's 30 clubs)
BA: .229 (30th)
OBP: .310 (24th)
SLG: .377 (29th)
OPS: .687 (29th)
K rate: 22.9% (22nd)
wRC+ (league average is 100): 99 (16th)
WAR, per FanGraphs: 9.5 (tied-23rd)
Runs/game: 4.04 (29th)

The dropoff from a strong 2025 has been despite a lineup stacked with talent, including Cal Raleigh, Julio Rodríguez, Josh Naylor and Randy Arozarena, among others. Granted, Raleigh was sidelined for a month and Rodríguez missed two weeks recently with a concussion. They’ve also been without prized offseason acquisition Brendan Donovan for over two months.

Magallanes had specialized on the mechanical side of coaching, while Seitzer has focused more on approach. However, they both had played off and blended with each other. Martinez is in the more overarching role, and had a big impact on hiring each, along with president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto. Philosophically, this staff has been more old-school in nature compared to its predecessors, which had largely been well received by players.

This was Magallanes' sixth season on a big league coaching staff, along with the four in Atlanta (2021-24), and his 24th as a pro coach, having spent much time in the Minors.

Thursday's move marks the second time in less than two years that the Mariners have made a significant, in-season coaching change. They parted ways with hitting coach Jarret DeHart on Aug. 22, 2024, when also relieving former manager Scott Servais of his duties.

Paparella, 31, has been in the organization since 2021, when he signed a Minors contract as a player but quickly transitioned into a coaching role. His roving role has primarily sent him on site to the club’s Minor League affiliates across the country. Beyond player development, he’s also worked with the club’s high-performance and analytics departments.

Paparella played in college as an outfielder at the University of South Alabama from 2016-19 -- where he was teammates with Donovan.

More thorough details regarding Thursday’s decision are expected from Dipoto and Wilson from Globe Life Field on Friday, when Seattle opens its four-game series at Texas.