The Kansas City Royals are continuing to reshape their coaching staff after a disappointing 2026 campaign that saw the club finish 69-93 and miss the postseason for the second consecutive year.
The move brings Hunter Mense back to his home state of Missouri, where he will serve as Kansas City's new assistant hitting coach after spending the 2026 season with the San Francisco Giants.
MLB.com's Mark Feinsand shared the hiring news Thursday on X, formerly Twitter, crediting colleague Maria I. Guardado for the information. Feinsand initially identified Mense as the Royals' new hitting coach before issuing a correction clarifying that he would serve as an assistant hitting coach.
Mense spent the 2026 season as San Francisco's hitting coach under manager Tony Vitello and had appeared likely to remain with the Giants before the opportunity with the Royals emerged.
Prior to his stint with the Giants, Mense served four seasons as an assistant hitting coach with the Toronto Blue Jays from 2022 through 2025.
Before joining the Blue Jays' major league staff, Mense worked in the organization's player development system. He coached hitters at Double-A New Hampshire in 2018 before becoming the Blue Jays' minor league hitting coordinator in 2019.
Born in Liberty, Missouri, the 42-year-old has experience developing prospects and working with established major league hitters.
Mense joins Royals hitting coaches Connor Dawson and Marcus Thames. Kansas City is retaining Alec Zumwalt as senior director of hitting performance, though he will no longer hold a daily, uniformed major league coaching role.
The changes follow a season of modest offensive improvement despite the Royals' struggles in the standings.
Kansas City's weighted runs created plus (wRC+) rose from 93 in 2025, when the club ranked 24th in Major League Baseball, to 98 in 2026, moving up to 19th.
Despite that progress, the Royals remained below the league-average benchmark of 100, leaving room for offensive consistency.
Mense's arrival gives Kansas City another experienced hitting instructor as the Royals look to build on those gains heading into 2027.