Detroit Tigers Finalize Coaching and Medical Staff for Upcoming Major League Baseball Season
The Detroit Tigers finalized manager A.J. Hinch’s coaching and medical staff for the upcoming Major League Baseball season, rounding out the dugout with internal reassignments and external hires.
Catching coach Ryan Sienko is moving into the bullpen to take over duties as bullpen coach, mlb.com reported. Sienko spent the last three years as Detroit’s catching coach. He fills the void left by assistant pitching coach Juan Nieves, who was not retained by the organization. With Nieves’ departure, the Tigers’ pitching instruction becomes a two-man group consisting of pitching coach Chris Fetter and assistant Robin Lund.
The staff additions also introduce several new faces to the Detroit organization. Former Major League catcher Martín Maldonado joins the staff as Major League quality coach, mysportstab.com reported. Maldonado retired as an active player following the 2025 season and the subsequent World Baseball Classic, after previously playing under Hinch with the Houston Astros.
Kyle Hudson arrives as the new first-base and baserunning coach, replacing Anthony Sanders, according to mysportstab.com. Hudson previously worked as a coach for the Boston Red Sox.
Front Office and Medical Department Additions
The club also announced updates to its medical and front-office personnel ahead of spring workouts.
Scott Peters joins the organization as medical director. The former Toronto Blue Jays assistant director of health and performance science spent the last 11 seasons in the Blue Jays organization and will now oversee medical operations throughout the Detroit franchise.
Jeremiah Randall takes over as head athletic trainer and head physical therapist, replacing Ryne Eubanks. Randall served as the head athletic trainer in Houston from 2016 through 2025—working alongside Hinch for the first four of those seasons—before spending this past season as an assistant physical therapist with the Atlanta Braves.
Jay Sartori officially returns to the organization as vice president of baseball operations. Sartori spent 10 years in the Tigers’ front office under two administrations before leaving last summer to join the Atlantic Coast Conference as vice president of sports technology. In his return, Sartori will work alongside vice president of baseball analytics Andrew Thomas and vice president of baseball strategy Alex Smith, resuming oversight of areas he previously managed, including research and development, performance science, and advance scouting.