KANSAS CITY, Mo.—The Kansas City Royals announced this morning that Joe Dillon has been named Assistant Major League Hitting Coach. All other coaches on Manager Matt Quatraro’s staff are expected to return for the 2024 season.

Dillon, 48, was selected by Kansas City in the 7^th round of the 1997 Draft and spent the first five seasons of his professional career in the Royals organization. He was selected by Minnesota in the 2001 Rule 5 Draft and played for five different organizations during his 12-year playing career.

Dillon, who played primarily second base and outfield, made his Major League debut with the Marlins in 2005, played in parts of two seasons in the Majors with Milwaukee from 2007-08 and played one season in the Majors with Tampa Bay in 2009.

He also played the 2006 season in Japan and ended his playing career in 2010 with Triple-A Durham. During the 2010 season, Quatraro was Tampa Bay’s Minor League Hitting Coordinator.

Dillon’s professional coaching career began in 2014, when he served for two years as the Hitting Coach at Triple-A Syracuse in Washington’s system. From 2016-17, he was the Minor League Hitting Coordinator for Miami, and returned to the Nationals organization in 2018 for a two-year stint as the Assistant Hitting Coach and won a World Series with Washington in 2019. Most recently, he was Philadelphia’s Major League Hitting Coach during the 2020-21 seasons.