Former Milwaukee Brewers slugger Daniel Vogelbach is returning to the organization as a hitting coach for the 2026 season, part of a significant reorganization of manager Pat Murphy's staff. The changes include new hires and promotions aimed at building on the team's strong offensive performance from last year. President of baseball operations Matt Arnold highlighted the opportunity to refine the team's approach despite a 97-win season.
The Milwaukee Brewers announced a series of staff changes on January 5, 2026, with former player Daniel Vogelbach, 33, joining as one of two new hitting coaches under lead hitting coach Eric Theisen. Vogelbach, who played for the Brewers from 2020-21 and hit a memorable walk-off grand slam against the Cardinals on September 5, 2021, began his coaching career last season as a special assistant for hitting with the Pittsburgh Pirates. His nine-year MLB playing career also included stints with the Seattle Mariners (where he was an All-Star in 2019), New York Mets, and Toronto Blue Jays.
Guillermo Martinez, 41, is the other new hitting coach. He served as hitting coach for Double-A Knoxville in the Chicago Cubs' system last season and previously worked with the Cubs and Blue Jays, including a Major League role with Toronto from 2019-24. The additions follow the departure of hitting coach Connor Dawson to the Kansas City Royals and the reassignment of Al LeBoeuf from lead hitting coach to another organizational role.
Other key moves include promotions for Jim Henderson to pitching coordinator from assistant pitching coach, and Jason Lane to offense and strategy coordinator from third-base coach. Matt Erickson, a Wisconsin native in his third season on the staff, takes over as third-base coach while continuing infield instruction. Spencer Allen, 48, who was director of player development, becomes first-base coach and baserunning instructor, replacing Julio Borbon, who is also being reassigned. Juan Sandoval joins as assistant pitching coach, and Ty Duvall is a new bullpen catcher alongside returning Christian Correa.
Returning in their roles are pitching coach Chris Hook (eighth season), field coordinator Néstor Corredor (fourth season), and bullpen coach Charlie Greene (third season). Daniel de Mondesert shifts to game preparation specialist. Notably, the Brewers will operate without a bench coach in 2026 after Rickie Weeks returned to the front office; those duties will be distributed among the staff, including Henderson.
Milwaukee's offense ranked third in runs scored (806) and second in on-base percentage last season, with the second-lowest swing rate outside the strike zone. Most regular position players are set to return. "The opportunity here to zoom out, even though we won 97 games, is something that’s really important to us," Arnold said. On Vogelbach, he added, "He’s a guy that has worn a lot of hats in the big leagues." Regarding Henderson and Hook's partnership, Arnold noted their excitement for expanded decision-making roles with manager Murphy.