Rays Staff Suffers Major Loss With Coach Following Blake Butera to Nationals

The new bench coach for the Washington Nationals under manager Blake Butera comes from the Tampa Bay Rays' staff.

Patrick Oehler/Poughkeepsie Journal

The Tampa Bay Rays organization has undergone some major changes this offseason. There were several members of the front office who received much-deserved promotions for the work they have been doing.

Alas, the team did suffer a major loss. Blake Butera, who has experience as a manager in the minor leagues, was hired by the Washington Nationals to become their new Big League manager.

He was a big part of the Rays' developmental staff, serving as the assistant field coordinator in 2023 and being named senior director of player development in 2024. The work Butera has done with younger players is a major reason why the Nationals hired him.

They have an incredibly young team possessing some high-end potential. They are hopeful that Butera can help bring the most out of those players, but he isn’t the only loss Tampa Bay has suffered.

Rays first base coach Michael Johns hired as Nationals bench coach

Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

On Monday, it was reported by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic on X that Michael Johns is being named the new bench coach for Butera. Johns has spent the last two years as the Rays' first base coach.

He also brings with him a wealth of managerial experience in the minor leagues. As recently as 2023, he was managing the Triple-A team in Durham. Johns has managed five other affiliates, including High-A and Rookie Ball, for the organization across nine seasons.

Michael Johns, the Rays’ first-base coach the past two seasons, will be the bench coach for new Nationals manager Blake Butera, sources tell @TheAthletic. Johns managed the Rays’ Triple A club in 2023 and five other affiliates over eight seasons.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 10, 2025

Overall, he has spent over two decades working in baseball as a manager, coach and coordinator. This is the first time he will be doing any work outside of the Tampa Bay organization in his professional career.

There is almost certainly a good working rapport between Butera and Johns, given how much overlap there has been during their time with the Rays. Both have been with the organization for a long time before embarking on a new challenge with Washington as part of their Major League coaching staff.

Johns is the first hire that has been reported for Butera’s staff since he was named manager of the team. A total revamping of the coaching staff is expected by the Nationals, and it would not be a surprise if more people from the Tampa Bay organization move north to the nation’s capital.

For his first Big League job, you can be sure Butera would like to work closely with people he knows. That way, they can grow into their new roles alongside each other and already have some experience working closely.

Another former member of Tampa Bay, Craig Albernaz, was hired to be manager of the Baltimore Orioles.