Hunter Mense is returning to his Missouri roots as the newest member of the Royals' coaching staff.
Kansas City announced Friday that it hired the Liberty, Mo., native as a Major League hitting coach after he spent the 2026 season in the same role with the Giants.
Mense will work alongside Marcus Thames, who retains his title as Major League hitting coach, and Connor Dawson, who will continue as the club's offensive coordinator.
Mense's hiring follows the Royals' decision to move Alec Zumwalt out of his hitting-coach role at the end of the 2026 regular season. Zumwalt, who held the position for five seasons, will remain with the organization as senior director of hitting performance, focusing on the Minor Leagues.
The 42-year-old Mense 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.
During Mense’s final season in Toronto, the Blue Jays led the Majors in batting average (.265), hits (1,461) and on-base percentage (.333) en route to winning the American League pennant.
The Royals ranked 22nd in the Majors in runs scored this past season (690) and have ranked among MLB’s bottom 10 in runs in 10 of the past 11 years.
Before joining Toronto's Major League staff, Mense coached hitters at Double-A New Hampshire in 2018 before being promoted to the organization's Minor League hitting coordinator in 2019. He began his professional coaching career with the Padres' Class-A Tri-City affiliate in 2017.
Mense grew up roughly 20 miles north of Kauffman Stadium. He attended Liberty High School, where he earned All-State honors twice as an outfielder. He went on to play at the University of Missouri from 2004-06 alongside future three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer.
Mense earned All-American recognition during his final season at Mizzou before the Marlins selected him in the 17th round of the 2006 MLB Draft. He spent five seasons in Miami's Minor League system, appearing in 349 games as a first baseman, designated hitter and outfielder.
Following his playing career, Mense returned to Mizzou to complete his degree and join the coaching staff. He spent six seasons (2011-16) as an assistant coach, becoming the program’s full-time hitting coach in 2014.