Royals 3B Coach Being Targeted For Managerial Openings, Per Insider

The Royals may lose a coach this offseason.

Aug 19, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; A general view is seen in the seventh inning between the Texas Rangers and the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Aiken-Imagn Images | Peter Aiken-Imagn Images

The Kansas City Royals missed the postseason in 2025 after going 82-80 and finishing in third place in the American League Central. There were certainly successes this year, but a lot went wrong and caused them to fall short.

As the offseason nears, the Royals have work to do to improve their club, but they also have a little bit of turnover on the coaching staff to deal with. Longtime coach Mike Jirschele announced his retirement last week, and others may be on the way out too.

According to Anne Rogers of MLB.com, third base coach Vance Wilson could be the next to go.

Royals 3B Coach Could Be Next To Leave

Sep 10, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Kansas City Royals major league field coordinator, third base coach Vance Wilson (25) stands on the field in the second inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

"Royals third base coach Vance Wilson interviewed for San Francisco’s managerial opening this month and is a candidate for the manager’s job in Minnesota, too, according to a source. Twins have him on their interview list," Rogers posted on X.

Wilson played eight seasons in Major League Baseball with the New York Mets and Detroit Tigers. He has been the Royals' third base coach for the past six years and was the bullpen coach prior.

The Giants and Twins both fired their managers and have openings. Teams such as the San Diego Padres, Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles and Los Angeles Angels also have vacancies.

Wilson has no Major League managerial experience, but he managed at the minor league level for the Royals from 2011-17.

Most of Kansas City's coaching staff from this past season should remain intact for 2026. but Jirschele's retirement and Wilson's potential departure could ultimately force a few tweaks for the team.

As a player, Wilson hit .250/.302/.377 with 25 career home runs, 129 RBI, 3.7 Wins Above Replacement and a .679 OPS over his eight seasons.

Several other teams could potentially show interest in Wilson as a managerial candidate, but he has interviewed with the Giants and will likely interview with the Twins as well. It will certainly be interesting to see what takes place this offseason and if Wilson will ultimately take a managerial role or remain the third base coach of the Royals.

Either way, it should be a very busy offseason for the Royals after they failed to reach the postseason, both in terms of roster construction and the Major League coaching staff, especially if Wilson joins Jirschele as the next coach to depart.

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