Royals name Marcus Thames to coaching staff

The Royals are hiring former major league outfielder and veteran coach Marcus Thames as hitting coach, according to Annie Rogers of MLB.com. He will join recently hired Connor Dawson, 32, as the second hitting coach to senior director of hitting Alec Zumwalt. Kansas City did not renew the contracts of now-former assistant hitting coaches Joe Dillon and Keoni Drane after the season.

Thames, 48, enjoyed a decade-long career in the majors as an outfielder and designated hitter from 2002 to 2011. Shortly after his career ended, he worked as a minor league hitting coach in the Yankees system. Within three years, he was promoted to the major league staff in the Bronx.

Thames served as an assistant hitting coach or hitting coach on the Yankees’ major league staff from 2016-21. He has since joined the Marlins, Angels and White Sox, earning the title of hitting coach in each system. The Mississippi native served as the White Sox’s hitting coach the past two seasons but was fired in a late-season coaching shakeup.

Thames appeared in 640 major league games and totaled as a major leaguer in 2016. During that time, the former 30th-round pick slashed .246/.309/.485 with 115 homers, 83 doubles, 4 triples, a 7.9% walk rate and a 25.3% strikeout rate. Thames’ bat has been particularly effective against left-handed pitching during his career, as evidenced by his career .260/.328/.496 line. The 2026 season will mark his eleventh consecutive year as a member of a major league coaching staff.