Pirates Hire New Infield Coach
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates finalized their coaching staff for the 2026 season, which incudes a familiar face in charge of the infield.
The Pirates made Chris Truby their infield coach for the 2026 season, making an internal hire for the position, as he was already on manager Don Kelly's staff this past campaign.
Truby replaces Mendy López, who was the previous infield coach and didn't return for the 2026 season.
He now has a big role in improving the infield for next season and helping the Pirates end a deacde-long absence from the playoffs.
Why Chris Truby Made Sense for this Position
Truby has experience with Kelly, especially this season, who made him a coach on the team after he took over as manager on May 8. He was previously the manager of Triple-A Indianapolis.
He also has prior experience as the Pirates' minor league infield coordinator, which he started in 2022, working with prospects and players now on the Pirates like Jared Triolo, Nick Gonzales and Nick Yorke.
Truby has history with the Pirates prior, playing for Indianapolis in his final stop of his baseball career before he retired in 2007.
He also helped coach top prospect Konnor Griffin during Spring Training, who won an MiLB Gold Glove Award and the Pirates are considering making Griffin their starting shortstop for Opening Day.
Truby will also get a chance to help newly acquired second baseman Brandon Lowe fit in with the Pirates. Lowe has struggled defensively, serving as one of the worst second baseman with his glove in baseball, with -13 Outs Above Average (OAA).
Another new player for Truby is free agent signing Ryan O'Hearn, who will certainly get his chances at first base, along with Spencer Horwitz in 2026.
Pirates' Coaching Changes This Offseason
The Pirates and Kelly agreed on an extension the first day of the offseason and Kelly made changes to his staff.
Kelly let go of pitching coach Oscar Marin on Sept. 30, as they decided they wouldn't renew his contract after the season. They also did the same for third base coach Mike Rabelo and assistant pitching coach Brent Strom made his mind up six weeks before the end of the 2025 campaign that he didn't want to stay on.
The Pirates did hire Bill Murphy as their new pitching coach, who came from the Houston Astros, where he had postseason success and led some of the best pitching staffs in baseball.
Thomas Whisett takes over from Strom as assistant pitching coach and has a previous relationship with Murphy.
Shawn Bowman is also the new major league field coordinator, after taking over as the Indianapolis manager following Truby's promotion.
Kelly also has his new bench coach in Kristopher Negron, who previously served as third base coach for the Seattle Mariners, and his third base coach in Tony Beasley, who was previously in the same role with the Texas Rangers and worked as a coach for the Pirates in a variety of roles.
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.