The Royals are set to name an assistant hitting coach.
The club agreed to hire hitting coach Hunter Mense from the Giants to be their assistant hitting coach, sources told MLB.com's Mark Feinsand and Maria Guardado on Thursday. The Royals have not confirmed the hire.
The Royals are also seeking a new hitting coach; Alec Zumwalt had served as Kansas City's hitting coach for the past five seasons before being removed from the role at the end of the 2026 regular season. He was reassigned to a different position within the organization.
The 42-year-old Mense, who is a Missouri native, served as the Blue Jays’ assistant hitting coach from 2022-25 before joining manager Tony Vitello’s staff in San Francisco ahead of the 2026 season.
The Royals ranked 22nd in the Majors runs scored this past season (690) and have ranked among MLB’s bottom 10 in runs in 10 of the past 11 years.
A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Mense was set to be named the Royals' hitting coach, not their assistant hitting coach.