The Chicago White Sox are shaking up their coaching staff, parting ways with pitching coach Ethan Katz and hitting coach Marcus Thames.
In addition, the White Sox will not renew the contracts of catching coach Drew Butera and first base coach Jason Bourgeois, general manager Chris Getz announced Monday.
Finally, Grady Sizemore will be reassigned after spending the 2025 season as the team’s offensive coordinator.
The decision means there will be significant changes coming to the staff of manager Will Venable, who just finished his first season with the White Sox with a 60-102 record.
“Decisions about the coaching staff are incredibly difficult because these are friends and teammates who have been through all the moments and trials alongside you,” Venable said in a statement. “I cannot thank each of them enough for the hard work and professionalism they brought to the ballpark daily. Ultimately, we have short-term and long-term goals and objectives for this organization and this team. Our responsibility is to put our players in the best position to grow and succeed, and that means always considering how our staff can best support the growth and success of our players.”
During Katz’s first season with the White Sox, the team had the fifth-best ERA in baseball and the second-best in the American League as they reached the postseason, winning the American League Central crown.
That ERA ballooned to 4.27 this season, ranking 20th in baseball, and the team posted a WHIP of 1.36, tied for 25th in the league.
Thames, Bourgeois and Butera all joined the team’s coaching staff during the 2024 season, while Sizemore served as the team’s interim manager in 2024 after they fired former manager Pedro Grifol.
The team says it will launch a search for replacements immediately, but did not give a timetable on decisions.
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